Perfect Trinity
by What a Rubber Chicken
Summary: After a horrible dream about Sora and Riku leaving the islands, Kairi rushes to see if they've really left her all alone again. But what will she find? Can she handle it? Sorikai. Post KH2. Rated for later chapters.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Kairi couldn't stop herself as she ran down the path to Sora's house. It was dark out, but the moon lit her way perfectly. The entire island was sure to be asleep at this time of night. Not that it mattered. All Kairi could hear was her own heavy breathing as she pounded down the path. People could've been screaming at her and she wouldn't have heard them.

'_Sora. Riku. You can't be gone again. You just can't. I'll never forgive you. Please. Please don't be gone. Please. Please. Please…'_

Finally, she was in front of Sora's door. She knocked loudly, hoping to wake someone up.

"Please be here. Please. I need you to still be here. Sora…."

Just a few minutes ago, she had woken up Riku's parents with her insistent knocking, before breathlessly asking if Riku was there.

"No, he isn't, Kairi. I'm sorry," Riku's mother had said, looking at her, confused. She looked like she wanted to say something else, but Kairi had already been running for Sora's house. She vaguely remembered Riku's mother calling after her, but she couldn't remember what the woman said. Her heart was racing, her mind filled with the dream she had just woken up from.

That dream. That horrible dream. Sora and Riku standing on the beach, side by side, looking out into the water. Kairi had tried calling to them, but neither responded. That never happened. She always got a response out of one of them whenever she called, if not both! But they had acted like they didn't hear her, didn't see her, as they moved to the water's edge. The moment their feet touched the water, the waves drew back and parted. Kairi remembered her heart racing as a huge wave gathered off shore, every part of it giving off a dark, foreboding aura.

She had screamed at them to get away from the beach, to not let that wave touch them, but again, they acted like they didn't hear her. Instead, Riku said calmly, "Time to go."

"Yep," Sora had responded. Kairi had especially noticed their eyes, burning with a conviction that she had never known her two best friends to have. Still not acknowledging her in any way, they had started down into the water, right in the path of the wave, as though daring it to take them.

Kairi had run after them, but the crest of the huge wave broke and she lost sight of them as the water flung her backwards onto the beach again. She had been right, though. About the darkness.

The water surrounded her, unnaturally cold. But just as suddenly as it had come, it receded, and she had simply sat there on the beach, shocked and frozen, her heart racing as she realized that her two best friends were nowhere in sight. She had called their names frantically, looking up and down the beach, but when her eyes came to rest on the spot where they had disappeared, she had felt her heartbeat increase even more and then—

She had woken up.

Now here she was, pounding on a door that hadn't opened yet, knowing that Riku was already gone somewhere and that, if her dream was correct, Sora wouldn't be here either….

That did it.

No longer willing to wait until the door was opened from the other side, Kairi wrenched it open and ran inside, part of her slightly amused that Sora's mom still didn't lock the door after everything that had happened to her son. She raced up the stairs and flung open Sora's bedroom door, not even noticing the sounds of a scuffle within.

Standing in the doorway, Kairi paused a moment to allow her brain to register one simple, but very important fact.


	2. Chapter 1: A Dream of Leaving

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Disney would have to fire me if I did half of the stuff I wanted to these poor (innocent) characters. Eventually, I shall come to terms with this reality. Until then….

…………….

**Chapter 1: A Dream of Leaving**

_Standing in the doorway, Kairi paused a moment to allow her brain to register one simple, but very important fact._

Sora was there. He was standing there, right in front of his bed, tugging his shirt on over his head and looking at her with wide eyes, shocked at her sudden appearance.

"Kairi…?"

With a small cry, Kairi flung herself at the boy, clutching him tightly to assure herself that he was actually there. Real. Solid.

"Um…Kairi?"

And obviously very confused as to why she had broken into his bedroom at two in the morning.

"I had a dream—it was dark—and you and Riku were standing on the beach—and you couldn't hear me—and the wave came and I tried to warn you but you weren't listening—and then it broke—and it was so cold and I couldn't find you and—"

Kairi knew she was babbling but she couldn't help it. She broke down and started sobbing into Sora's chest, feeling his arms wrap around her protectively.

"Kairi, what….?"

"—And you said it was time to go and you didn't even notice me!" She felt part of her fear turn to anger and let go of Sora just enough to pound weakly on his chest with her fists while still maintaining as much contact as she could. "I told you it was dangerous and I could feel the darkness—and so help me, if you leave me again I'll kill you myself—"

At that, Sora laughed softly and it only made her madder.

"Stop laughing!" she cried, pounding on his chest some more, which was difficult to do with his arms around her, "I swear, I'd kill you for that, but right now we've got to go find Riku and—"

Kairi's fear returned tenfold as she remembered. Riku actually _was_ gone. He wasn't at home. Vaguely, she was aware of the sound of the door closing behind her. She must've really flung it open. But that didn't matter. All that mattered was that Riku hadn't been at home when she asked for him at _two in the morning_. Why wouldn't a person be home at that time? He was gone!

"Oh, God, Sora. Riku!"

"What about Riku?" Sora asked, looking down at her with an eyebrow raised.

"He wasn't there—he wasn't home—he's actually gone!"

Suddenly, Kairi felt something large and warm press itself against her back and another pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She froze when she felt warm breath tickling her neck as a deep voice whispered,

"I'm right here, Kairi."

"Riku," she breathed, relief washing over her.

She turned in Sora's arms to look up at him, his half-hidden eyes dancing in amusement behind his bangs. Smiling, he reached up and wiped away a tear that she hadn't even noticed was there, his hand lingering for a moment when the tear he wiped away was immediately replaced with another.

"Relax, Kairi, it was just a dream," Sora said behind her. Kairi turned to him.

"But it felt so real," she said. She could feel herself losing her energy as the adrenaline she had been running on wore off.

They were both home. Safe. Riku was here. Sora was here. It was only a dream.

"Kairi, you're shaking," Sora said, alarmed. Kairi realized that she was, in fact, trembling uncontrollably. Sora released her and grabbed a blanket from his bed. The instant she lost contact with him, Kairi felt her fear return. So when he wrapped the blanket around her, Kairi pressed herself against him, refusing to move even when he tried to help her sit on his bed. Finally, after a moment, he gave up and gathered her in his arms again, pulling her into his lap as he sat on the bed. Kairi snuggled against him, warm and safe in his arms.

"That must've been some dream," Sora remarked, stroking her hair idly.

"I just—keep losing you two," Kairi muttered.

She looked up at Riku, her eyes pleading. He smiled and came over and sat down beside them. Kairi smiled too, resting her head on Sora's shoulder and reaching her hand out for Riku's. He had always understood her without her having to say anything. Just like now, when he took her hand in both of his and started massaging it gently. Kairi felt her body instantly relax and a warm feeling rose up inside her.

Then she felt Sora snicker. Confused, she looked up at him.

"What?"

He looked at her with amusement and for a moment, Kairi thought he was going to make fun of her for being afraid of her dream again. Instead, he turned to Riku.

"Feels right, doesn't it."

Riku didn't reply, he just kept stroking Kairi's hand. Irritated with the both of them for obviously leaving her out of another conversation, Kairi pulled her hand away and gave Riku a look that said she wanted answers.

"What are you two talking about?" she asked. He glanced at her and sighed.

"Sora and I were just having this discussion," he said, not looking her. It wasn't his words so much as the fact that he wouldn't look at her that was scaring Kairi. He was also blushing slightly.

"About what?" she asked slowly, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. Riku sighed again and Kairi felt Sora slightly tighten his grip on her. "My dreams?"

"Leaving."

"NO!"

The word was out before Kairi could stop herself. A thousand thoughts raced through her head. They were leaving again—the dreams were true—she was never going to see them again—they were going to leave her again—all alone on this island—they were plunging right back into the darkness—she couldn't follow—they were leaving—

"We're not leaving you, Kairi," Sora said, breaking through her thoughts. Riku looked up at his friend.

"Sora—"

"We're _not_, Riku," Sora said again, cutting off the older boy. Kairi felt his grip on her loosen as he turned more to face his best friend. "We promised we'd go together, remember?"

"Sora, she's a Princess of Heart," Riku retorted. "Anyone we faced would keep attacking her because of that. Do you really want to put her in that kind of danger?"

"We can protect her," Sora argued, his grip on Kairi tightening again.

"Sora, we can't—"

"Yes, we can, Riku!"

"EXCUSE ME! Do I get a say in this?" Kairi asked, her patience snapping. She pushed herself out of Sora's lap and turned to face the two boys who looked rather startled at her outburst. Hands on her hips, she glared at them both. "While I appreciate your concern, I'd like to have a say in what happens to me."

"Kairi—" Riku started.

"Sora's right, Riku," Kairi said, cutting him off. She saw his eyes snap fire for an instant. "You did promise. We all did. We said we'd have our adventures together, remember?"

"_I remember_. But that was before we knew just what those adventures would _be_, Kairi," Riku said, still angry. He locked eyes with her. "That was before Sora and I got our Keyblades and learned that most of our time would be spent fighting Heartless and Nobodies. Before we learned that you were a princess who could open the Door to Darkness. Things change, Kairi."

"But they don't have to!" Sora blurted, joining the conversation again. "C'mon, Riku. Like you said, we have the Keyblades now. We can protect her. Besides, if we leave her here, the bad guys could come here and take her away, like Axel did." Riku looked at his friend incredulously.

"I can't believe you want to put her in danger like this," he exclaimed.

"I _don't_ want to put her danger," Sora said, punching the bed once to let off some frustration.

"Sora, you _know_ why we can't take her."

"But I just…oh geez." Sora stopped and seemed to be at a loss for words as he stared at his bedspread.

Kairi felt her arms drop to her sides in despair. Even though it was two-to-one, Riku's argument was still holding fast. She knew Sora didn't want to leave her behind, but that he didn't want her to get hurt either. Part of her knew that Riku was going through the same emotions, but he had come to his conclusion. And since Sora always followed Riku's lead… they were going to leave her behind again.

She saw it on Sora's face as he raised his head to look at her mournfully. She wanted to scream, to yell, to cry—hell, even to _understand_ why they would do this to her a third time, but she couldn't.

"Kairi, Riku's right…." Sora said slowly. Kairi shook her head, denying it. She had let them go once. This time, she knew from the bottom of her heart that if she let them go, they weren't going to come back.

Their happy days together, playing and racing around the islands, were over. But if she wanted to keep them, her best friends, she would have to find a way to make them let her come.

"Kairi, please don't cry…" Sora said, standing up and walking towards her with his arms outstretched. Something clicked in Kairi's brain. They wanted to protect her. They thought she wasn't able to take care of herself. That's why they were leaving her behind.

She rushed him, tackling him onto the bed. He landed with an "oof." Quickly, Kairi pinned him, straddling him so she could use her knees to keep his hands in place while she forced his shoulders down. She had often seen Sora head butt Riku to get the other boy off of him, and considering how fast Riku wheeled back when he did, she didn't want him to even think about trying it on her.

Still breathing slightly heavily from her attack, Kairi looked down at the boy she had captured. He was staring at her, his mouth open in shock. Kairi fought the urge to laugh at his expression. She had to remain in control, and right now, that meant angry.

But who could be mad at Sora when he had that dumbfounded look on his face? Quickly, Kairi closed her eyes and looked down, so she wouldn't be tempted to laugh anymore. But she clearly needed to communicate her intentions.

"Teach me," she said, finally, when she judged she could look at her friend again without breaking down. She glanced at his face. Sure enough, he was still confused. Sora looked at Riku with a glance that said, _'Do you know what the hell she's talking about?_' But when Kairi looked at Riku, he just had a surprised look on his face too.

"To fight," she explained. Before he could mask it, Riku's face betrayed his shock and rejection of her idea. Well, he would be no help. Kairi turned back to Sora.

"Then you won't have to worry about me. I'll be able to come with you and help you too." She could tell by the look on his face that Sora liked this idea, but he still had his doubts.

"Kairi—"

"Please, Sora? It can't take that long to learn. I've watched you two practice. Besides, you don't need to leave right away, do you?"

"Well, no…." Sora couldn't seem to come up with anymore arguments. He looked at Riku, who hesitated.

"Eh…"

"Oh, come on, Riku," Kairi said, not wanting to give them enough time to think up more arguments, "you're the one who gave me that Keyblade in the first place…."

Riku looked like he was going to say something to that, but decided against it. He looked at Sora and shrugged, which Kairi was pretty sure meant _'I guess we can take her…'_ Because Sora grinned goofily as his eyes got a mischievous glint in them.

"But, Kairi," he said jokingly, "you fight like a girl."

Kairi grabbed the pillow near Sora's head and started to beat him with it. Sora laughed and tried half-heartedly to get away from her.

"Riku, a little help here?" he gasped. Kairi paused to see Riku smirking at them.

"What? You're the one getting beat up by a _girl_," Riku teased.

Kairi's next swing hit square into the side of Riku's head, almost knocking him off the bed. Sora burst out laughing as Kairi paused in her attack to admire her aim. Riku looked up at her slowly, his face serious.

"You just hit me with a pillow," he stated calmly.

"Yeah. So?" Kairi challenged, gripping her pillow tighter.

Riku lunged at her. Kairi barely had time to squeak as he ripped the pillow from her grasp, landed on top of her, and started tickling her mercilessly.

"Ouch, Riku!" Sora cried. Riku stopped tickling Kairi and they both turned to see that Riku's knee had landed right in his best friend's stomach.

"Sorry, Sora," he said, moving it. Sora sat up and glared at him, rubbing his stomach. Chuckling, Riku looked back down at Kairi, who was still laying beneath him.

"You really think you can handle us both?" he asked with his trademark half-smile. Kairi scowled at him and crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"I'm not afraid of you two," she said. A strange light gleamed in Riku's eyes.

"Maybe you should be," he muttered so softly that Kairi almost didn't hear him as he pulled away from her.

"What do you mean?" Kairi asked, sitting up as well.

"Nothing. Does your mom know you're here?" he asked.

"No, she's was at that convention thing today," Kairi said. Lots of the adults from the Destiny Islands had gone to what was supposed to be some sort of "parenting convention," but the last ferry back to the Islands had broken down, which was what most of them had taken. Thus, many of the parents were stuck on the mainland tonight. She bit her lip in embarrassment. "Which, now that I think about it, is why no answered the door _here_, right?"

She looked at Sora, who nodded. His parents had also been at the convention. Kairi closed her eyes, feeling nine kinds of stupid. Of course. If she had simply stopped to think about it before, it all made perfect sense. That was why no one had answered the door. It was also probably the reason why Riku was here. Sora hated being alone in his house. Riku must've offered to stay over. Or Sora asked him. Whatever.

"So, let me get this straight," Riku said, settling himself more comfortably on the bed. "You had this dream where Sora and I left again, and you went to _my_ house first?" He threw a smirk at Sora.

"That's not fair," Sora said, sputtering. "Your house is closer to hers than mine!"

"Not my fault," Riku said, shrugging.

"Still…"

Kairi rolled her eyes at the two. They really were incorrigible.

"I was worried about you _both_," she stressed, leaning forward and tweaking Riku on the nose. He always did love to start these fights. To her surprise, he caught her hand and used it to pull her into his lap.

"Yeah, but you must've been especially worried about _me_," he teased, pulling her into an embrace that was so blatantly designed to make Sora even more jealous that Kairi giggled. Oh, how she had missed this. The easy banter, light-hearted teasing… it just wasn't the same unless it was the three of them.

"But it was _my_ house that she actually broke into," Sora said, pulling Kairi away from Riku into his own lap. Riku, however, wasn't letting her go without a fight and one arm stayed stubbornly around Kairi's waist as Sora tried to pry it off of her.

"Only because your parents weren't home."

"Not my fault," Sora shot back, finally managing to pull Kairi away from Riku completely.

Kairi couldn't help laughing as his momentum carried them both backwards. She ended up in Sora's arms, on top of him again as he grinned at her. Then, before she could react, he reached up and pulled her head down, his warm lips pressed against her own.

………………

A/N: grins Oh, shit. What now, huh? Guess you'll just have to find out later!

I'll update faster if you review….

See the button?


	3. Chapter 2: Wait, You Like Who?

**Disclaimer**: I still don't own Kingdom Hearts. I'm working on it though. Now, all I have to do is graduate, find a good-paying job, and buy Squareenix and Disney. Which shouldn't take long. Only a couple million years.

Thanks to Kajifire, who was the first to review!

Oh yes. A warning. Sexuality and sexual preferences are discussed in this. It was labeled "romance" for a reason.

…………………………………

**Chapter 2: Wait. You Like Who?**

_Kairi couldn't help laughing as his momentum carried them both backwards. She ended up in Sora's arms, on top of him again as he grinned at her. Then, before she could react, he reached up and pulled her head down, his warm lips pressed against her own._

Kairi gasped and pulled away from him in shock. Behind her, she heard Riku curse. Sora sat up as well, his eyes wide.

"Kairi, I'm so sorry—I didn't mean to—" he said. Then, to her surprise, he turned to Riku. "Riku, please. I swear—" It took Kairi a moment to realize that Sora was apologizing to Riku for kissing her. But why would he do that? Suddenly, a thought struck her.

'_Oh my God,'_ Kairi thought, dazed, _'They're gay. Riku's pissed—Sora's sorry—Oh my God. They're together. I never would have guessed…'_

"We agreed, Sora," Riku said angrily, standing up. _'Oh no,_' Kairi thought, _'I can't let them break up because of me. I have to do something…'_

"We agreed, neither of us would touch her like that until we got this sorted out."

'_Maybe if I—Wait a minute. What? They're fighting over me again? They're not gay? What's going on—'_

"I know," Sora moaned, burying his face in one hand. "I just… don't know what came over me."

"Yes, you do," Riku snapped. "You know as well as I do." He looked over at Kairi and winced at her confused expression. "You must think we're the two biggest perverts on the face of the earth."

"Actually, I'm just a little confused," Kairi admitted. Boy, was that the understatement of the year…. Riku ran his hand through his hair nervously. He looked like he didn't know where to begin.

"Kairi, you do know that we both like you, right?" he asked finally.

"Of course," Kairi said, still confused, "that's why we're friends." They were making no sense.

"He means 'more than just friends,' Kairi," Sora said softly. Kairi turned to stare at him.

"But wait, you mean you're _not_ gay?" she asked. Sora gaped at her and Riku let out a sound that sounded like a choke and a strangled cry.

"No…" Sora said, flushing. Kairi bit her lip.

"Okay…. So why did you apologize to _Riku_ for kissing me?" she asked. Sora's confused expression cleared instantly.

"Oh. Well, umm…that's kind of a long story…and you really should be—"

"Uh huh. Like I'm going to get any sleep _now_," Kairi said, crossing her arms and looking at them both expectantly. Riku sighed and he and Sora exchanged a resigned glance. Finally, Sora took a deep breath.

"Kairi, we've both always liked you—"

"—which is why we competed so much when you were around—"

"—but we never really realized how much until we got back—"

"—and that's where things got interesting."

Riku and Sora looked at each other again and flushed. Kairi raised an eyebrow at her two friends. Obviously, they really did have quite the story to tell, but she was still only getting bits and pieces of it, especially when both of them tried to tell it at once.

"What?" she asked. When both of them tried to talk at once again, she held up her hand. They both shut up and she pointed at Sora. "You first, since you started this." He flushed again and looked away for a moment.

"Umm, you remember when I found you in Hollow Bastion?" he asked. Kairi nodded. How could she forget how hard he had fought to save her? "Well, I—I was so happy I had you back, Kairi, but… something still felt like it was missing." Sora looked at Riku nervously. Riku just smiled sadly.

"It just—didn't feel right. To be with you and not be with Riku, too. I guess—it's just that we were always together here on the island, so…."

"You went to find Riku," Kairi supplied. Sora nodded.

"But, that's also part of the reason why I couldn't take you with me," he continued. "While I was with you, I kept feeling something—like something was missing that should've been there. That _had_ to be there. I wasn't even as happy that I had found you as I thought I would be. There was just a feeling of _wrongness_."

Kairi took this in silently. So, he hadn't been happy that he had found her? Sure, she had been worried about Riku back then too, but still…. Having Sora leave her alone again after all of that had been even harder.

"I felt the same way," Riku said. Startled out of her thoughts, Kairi looked at him. He gave her a brief smirk. "Of course, when I found Kairi, she was basically a lifeless puppet, but still, there was the sense that someone else should be there as well." He glanced at Sora sideways. "Maybe that's why I kept making sure our paths crossed."

Sora stuck his tongue out at him, but Riku looked down. "I was jealous, so as much as I knew we should all be together again, there was a part of me that rejected the idea. Maybe its just because I thought I'd be cast aside eventually."

"Oh, come on, Riku," Sora said, punching his arm, "she could still choose you."

"Sora, we've been through this—"

"Let me get this straight," Kairi interrupted, "you two have been playing leapfrog throughout the worlds for the past two years because you couldn't figure out your feelings for me?" Both boys thought about that for a moment.

"Basically," Sora said.

"But when we went to close the Door to Darkness, I could've easily slipped through to the other side," Riku said, looking slightly embarrassed, "but as soon as I felt Sora there and not you, that feeling of wrongness that Sora described earlier came back. By the time I actually got to the door, I didn't even want to go to the other side."

"So, why'd you tell me to take care of her?" Sora asked. Riku shrugged.

"I didn't know you felt the same way," he said. "I figured _I_ felt that way because part of me knew that you and Kairi should be together." He looked up at Kairi quickly. "It's not that I don't want to be with you, it's just that….well, I guess I always figured that Sora's feelings for you were stronger than mine."

Sora blew a raspberry at his friend.

"I don't think it's that I care for her more, it's just that I show it more," he said. Riku looked at him, surprised, and he gave the older boy a droll look. "You've always had a problem showing when you like someone, Riku. Took you two weeks to even acknowledge my existence in public when we first met."

Riku grabbed the pillow he had stolen from Kairi earlier and lightly whacked Sora with it.

"Yeah, well, you were a freak then. Still are, come to think of it…."

Sora growled at him and tried to grab the pillow from Riku, who kept it just out of range. Kairi stared at her two friends.

Okay, so they liked her. _That_ way. She could accept that. After all, they were teenage boys, after all. It was expected. But, all this about a feeling of wrongness…? Not being able to be with her because they weren't with each other too? What did that mean?

"So…" Kairi said slowly. The two boys stopped their pillow fight to look at her. "Are you two saying you like _me_, or each other?" Sora and Riku sighed in unison.

"That's actually the part we can't figure out," Sora admitted.

"All we know is, when we're all together, it just feels right," Riku said slowly. "We don't know why or anything…."

"Wait. What do you mean by 'right'?" Kairi suddenly asked, uneasy with the way they were acting. Sure enough, both boys blushed deep red and refused to look at her.

Ah hah.

And how had she missed this little detail? Oh, that's right, she hadn't really been looking for it…. Kairi rubbed her eyes and refused to look down at them and confirm what she already knew.

So, that's what Riku had meant when he had muttered that she should be afraid of them and later, that she probably thought they were perverts. They both got turned on when they were with her. But only when it was all three of them.

Kairi suddenly wished she had stayed in bed. This was a lot to learn in one night. First, that her two friends were planning on leaving home again and then that they not only liked her, but they only liked her when they were all together….

"This is why you didn't want me to come with you two again, isn't it," she said. It all made sense now….

"Well, it does make for a bit of a problem," Sora said, grinning at her sheepishly.

Kairi could understand that. Fighting in that state…well, she wasn't sure what it felt like, but it must feel pretty weird. And then, when they were all alone on the Gummi Ship or raft or whatever….

"Wait a minute, if you two were planning on leaving without me, wouldn't you just get that 'wrongness' feeling again?"

"Er…well, yeah. But we figure we can sort of handle it now—now that we know what it is and all," Sora said. "And at least we wouldn't have had to worry about—" Riku cleared his throat and Sora shut up. Kairi got the point though. If she wasn't there, they wouldn't have to worry about wanting her and doing _other_ things….

"Kairi, are you okay?" Riku asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, yeah, I just need a minute to figure all of this out," she said, waving him off. Okay, so her two best friends like her. Yeah. She had gotten through that part. It was the other qualifier that had her mixed up. Why would they only get aroused when it was all three of them?

Kairi certainly knew what they were talking about when they said it didn't feel right when one of them was missing, but she had never thought of it in a sexual way before….

"Are you two sure you're not gay?" She just had to ask. Once again, both boys blushed deep.

"Yeah, definitely," Sora said.

"The feeling of wrongness is there when it's just the two of us too, remember?" Riku added. Kairi looked at them carefully and smirked.

"You've tried it, haven't you," she said. Once again, they both made sounds like they were being strangled and looked away. Sora coughed.

"It's not _that…_"

Kairi looked straight at him, wanting to laugh.

"You do know you suck at lying, right?" she asked, smirking at his discomfort.

"Well, the important thing is, it didn't work," he answered hurriedly. Riku groaned and buried his head in his hands. Kairi couldn't help it anymore. She started laughing.

"It's not _that_ funny," Sora grumbled.

"I'm sorry—but you two—your faces—" Kairi stopped laughing and wiped away a tear. The two boys looked like they were fighting back smiles. She sighed, trying to delay the inevitable.

"So, what do we do now?" she asked, finally.

"Well, I can think of one thing," Riku said, looking at her sideways, "but you're probably not up for that. So, I guess, it really depends on _your_ feelings. You'll have to choose one of—"

"And just how am I supposed to choose one of you when you say it has to be all three of us in order for either of you to get aroused?"

Riku and Sora looked at each other, startled.

"Good point."

"Guess we never thought of that."

The three of them sat in silence for a moment as they tried to figure out their problem. Kairi didn't know about the other two, but this little conversation was going to keep her awake for a long time unless they got it all figured out. Still, she looked at them again.

'_Whenever I think about them, I think about both of them. Haven't I always known that I wanted to be with both of them forever? Sure, a couple of years ago, I just meant as friends, but as Riku pointed out, things change. We've all grown up a lot since then. And honestly, I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with…'_ Kairi started as she realized something.

'_They're right. It's just not right when it isn't the three of us. It isn't as much fun, and I certainly don't feel as comfortable or happy. Is that what they meant by the "wrongness"? I guess I never really thought about it, because I always knew that one of them would try to bring us all together again._

'_And then…in the World That Never Was, when Riku was about to leave me alone with Sora, I know I felt something then. It felt like my heart was screaming "NO!" And even though I knew he wanted to leave, something made me hold him back. Was that what they were talking about?_

'_But do I feel _that way_ towards either of them? Sure, they make me happy, and my heart starts beating faster whenever they're around, but… I guess, I've never thought of them that way before. Come to think of it, I've never thought of _anyone_ that way before…'_

Then again, she was a Princess of Heart… maybe she wasn't suppose to feel that way towards anyone… Kairi frowned at that thought. No, that couldn't be right.

Snow White, Aurora, Cinderella, Jasmine, and Belle were all in serious relationships, most of them married. Alice had never mentioned anyone, but she was about the same age as Kairi, if not younger, so it wasn't likely that she was married yet.

Still, if the others didn't seem to have a problem with relationships, maybe it was just her. Of course, the others didn't need to worry about the fact that there were _two_….

Then Kairi felt it again. Her heart squeezed itself tight in her chest, screaming "NO!" at the mere thought of choosing one of them and leaving the other behind. And to walk away from both? _Oh, hell no._

But what to do? She knew they both cared for her enough to not hurt her, but what if…. Kairi shook her head to clear it. She could "what if" all night with this subject if she wanted to. From the looks on their faces, Sora and Riku were doing enough of that on their own. She didn't want to hurt either of them either, but what if… ARG!

Enough. She would just try a little experiment and see what happened. After all, they had seemed willing enough to wait for her decision. Surely they would wait, if she decided her nerve wasn't up to something like this….

She crawled over to where the two boys sat together, still thinking about how to alleviate their "problem." They looked up at her as she approached, but neither of them questioned her. She sat down in front of Riku, still not quite believing what she was about to do. Then, before she lost her nerve, she reached up and kissed him fully on the mouth.

He froze, but only for a second. Before she could move away, his arms shot out and pulled her against him as he took control of the kiss, stroking her bottom lip gently with his tongue. Kairi sighed as she felt herself relax into his embrace. He felt so good. So commanding. So warm. And he tasted like, well, Riku. There really was no other way to describe it. It felt—right.

He groaned against her, his tongue becoming more insistent. She knew what he wanted, but she didn't think she was ready for that. Not yet anyway. Gently, she pulled away from him, looking up to see him staring at her, breathing heavily. His pupils were dilated, she noticed absently. She looked to the side to see Sora sitting a few feet away from them, looking completely crushed. Still, he smiled bravely.

"I guess this means you've chosen, huh?"

To his surprise, Kairi shook her head and moved out of Riku's embrace before either of them could stop her. Sora stared at her confusedly at first, but then understanding lit up his eyes as Kairi kissed him the same way she had Riku.

Kairi had to give him credit, he was faster than Riku, either that or he had simply had a bit of warning. In any case, Sora met her halfway with his lips and instantly took control of her mouth.

Kairi was surprised. She certainly hadn't expected _Sora_ to be the forceful one. Still, even as he took advantage of her partially open mouth, he was gentle as he explored it. And, just the same as Riku, he tasted exactly like what Kairi thought Sora should taste like. Wild and carefree, but still tender. And he tasted so _right_.

She pulled away from him as he started to get a little too into it. She caught his gaze as she moved away from them both to sit back on the bed and flushed as she recognized his hungry gaze for what it was. Pure, unadulterated lust. The eyes of her two best friends were filled with it.

Unable to look at either of them, Kairi pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her burning face in her arms. Gods, what was happening to her? What was happening to them? Right now, her heart was racing and she had no idea what she wanted…okay, so she did have an idea, but… could she do that? This was Sora and Riku!

"Kairi?" Riku's soft voice called to her. She felt him sit so he was right beside her and he began to awkwardly stroke her hair. "Are you okay?"

"I just made out with my two best friends," Kairi said weakly.

"Well, I don't know about Riku," Sora said, scooting closer to her as well, "but I certainly didn't mind."

"Definitely not," Riku agreed.

Still, Kairi refused to look at either of them. This had to be the scariest thing she had ever done in her life, and that included running through unknown portals, jumping off balconies, and fighting ugly little black monsters. This was her heart she was dealing with now. She didn't know if it was breaking or finally coming together.

"This is all so confusing," she said softly.

"Tell me about it," Sora sighed. Kairi looked up to see him staring at Riku speculatively. "I have no idea why, man, but I feel like I should kiss _you_ next." Kairi blanched at the thought. Was he serious?

Still, part of her whispered slowly, _'Would it really be anymore weird than what you've already done? They're best friends with each other too.' _

'_But they're both boys!'_ Kairi protested silently.

'_So? They both love you. Is it so weird that they would love each other too? They've known each other longer. They feel comfortable together. Do I need to continue?'_ But Kairi found that she couldn't argue against it anymore. There was a part of her that believed that maybe, just maybe, they could all….

"Sora, we tried that already, remember? It was a disaster," Riku was saying.

"Only because Kairi wasn't here," Sora said. Instead of denying it outright, Riku pondered this a moment, chewing on his bottom lip. He glanced at her.

"Would you mind?"

"Why are you asking me?" she asked. Riku shrugged. Kairi sighed. "It can't be any more weird than what we've already done," she said finally, echoing her previous thoughts.

"True," Riku said, slowly. He crawled over to Sora. "If it feels wrong again, I'm pulling back," he warned. Sora nodded and Kairi watched as the two slowly came together.

They _had_ done this before, she realized, as both of them turned their heads at the last moment to avoid bumping noses. Sora's hand came up to brush Riku's hair away from his face as their lips gently met. Kairi felt herself gasp as _something_ woke up inside her. Her heart beat furiously as Sora and Riku's tongues played together and she belatedly realized just what they had been doing to her. Still, there was something missing… she felt the deep, inexplicable need to reach out to them while they were doing this.

Abruptly, they both pulled apart, cursing.

……………….

A/N: Yes, I know. I am evil and I shall probably burn in hell.

Hey, while I'm there, why don't you drop me a line?

Click the little button below!


	4. Chapter 3: A Feeling of Completeness

Ahhh….sexual frustration. Major bummer. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I'm glad I'm not the only person out there who likes this pairing—er… trioing. Threeesomeness. Sandwich. Whatever you want to call it.

….

Oh well. On with the show! Dun-dun-dunnn!

What _is_ the border between acceptable and not-acceptable between three friends?

**Disclaimer**: I'm working on it. Someday I will own Kingdom Hearts! Then I can laugh in Maleficent's face 'cause I own it and she doesn't. Until then, Disney and SquareEnix rule my life and my television set. My thumbs hurt from button mashing….

………………

**Chapter 3: A Feeling of Completeness**

_Abruptly, they both pulled apart, cursing._

"Damn it," Sora muttered, "I really felt like it would work this time."

"Something's still missing," Riku sighed.

Finally, Kairi's mind clicked again. They were missing _her_. They needed her. And for a moment there, she had needed to touch them as well…. Acting on impulse, she crawled over to Sora and pressed herself close to his side, feeling his sudden intake of breath as she did. She looked over to Riku and held out her hand. He laced his fingers through hers hesitantly, not quite sure as to what her intentions were. Still, as soon as he did, she felt something buzz through her, like electricity.

Just as he had done with her earlier, Kairi used his captured hand to pull Riku forward. Startled, Sora caught him just before he landed very awkwardly in the other boy's lap. That was when Kairi felt it.

_Complete_.

And looking at the faces of the two boys, she was sure they felt it to. Her heart was singing, _'This is right, this is right—we're all together—we're complete—'_ Kairi wasn't quite sure how to describe it. Overall, there was a sense of peace and contentment, but underneath there was something hungry that was waking within her, something that wanted…well, in a word: _them_. She looked at Sora.

"Try it again."

He nodded and pulled Riku closer before fastening his lips to the other boy's. Kairi felt a warm rush go through her and the world seemed to drop out from underneath her. And if it was anything like what those two were feeling, she couldn't blame them when they both groaned and fell back against the bed, Sora onto his back and Riku on top of him, never breaking their kiss.

Unfortunately, this little action caused Kairi to lose the contact she had with Sora's back and Riku let go of her hand to keep himself from falling on the younger boy. The feeling of completeness shattered. Apparently, the boys felt it too because Riku pulled away from Sora again, looking shocked.

"What—the—hell…," Sora gasped, staring at Riku. "You felt it too, right?" Riku nodded. Kairi wanted to laugh at their dumbfounded expressions. They hadn't figured it out, yet, but she had.

"What broke it?" Riku asked. Maybe it was time to put them out of their misery. Well, they were already connected, she saw, as their legs were tangled impossibly together. So, that just left her again.

"My bad," she giggled, lying down beside Sora. She snuggled up against his shoulder and then touched Riku's arm with her free hand, looking up to see his reaction as she felt that same electrical current rush through her. Instantly, his eyes dilated to the point where she could barely tell what color they were. Beside her, Sora trembled slightly.

Kairi wanted to laugh, she felt so happy. This was all _so right_! This feeling…nothing could go wrong as long as she had these two with her. They were complete. Sora turned his head slightly so he could look at her and she smiled at him.

"Better?"

He stared at her silently. Kairi took that as a yes. Above them, Riku groaned and then buried his face in Sora's neck.

"Kairi, I don't know what you're doing, but—for God's sake, don't stop," he whispered huskily.

Absently, Sora's other hand came up to stoke Riku's hair while the arm that Kairi was snuggled against shifted so that it went underneath and around her. He pulled her closer and gently kissed her forehead. The warmth inside her started to build and she wondered if Sora could feel it as he paused.

"You do know what this means, right?" Sora asked. Kairi looked up at him, not quite sure if he was talking to her or Riku. He glanced at her, a wicked smile slowly forming on his lips.

"Yeah, I know," Kairi said, mock-pouting, "It means I'll have to watch you two make out again."

Riku laughed softly into Sora's neck as the other boy grinned at her.

"Nope," Sora said, rolling over to rest on top of her. Kairi felt the loss of Riku as Sora's action took them away from him, but she ignored it, staring into Sora's dancing blue eyes as he straddled her, still grinning naughtily.

"It means you're going to have to be a part of it." He looked over at the other boy and held out his hand. "Riku?"

Riku smiled as he took Sora's hand and allowed himself to be pulled in next to Kairi where he gently brushed the redhead's cheek. Kairi closed her eyes as she felt it come over her again. Gods, how could something so wrong be so right? This felt awkward, but at the same time…so perfect. She felt Sora's lips brush her other cheek and stiffened in surprise.

"Slowly, Sora," Riku warned.

"I know," came the mumbled reply, as he was already working his way down to her neck. Kairi felt her body tremble in response to his touch. And when his mouth found a sensitive part and started to suck….Okay, _that_ felt really good. Beside her, Riku chuckled.

"I think she likes it…." he said teasingly. Sora pulled back to look at her face, his eyes dark. Kairi felt that hunger within her surge again as she met his gaze. Suddenly, a look of realization crossed Sora's face before total panic set in.

"Riku," he said shakily, "I'm not gonna last like this…."

Instantly, Riku broke his contact with Kairi, shorting the wonderful circuit they had going. He gently pushed Sora away from Kairi, forcing him to sit up. To Kairi's dismay, Sora actually looked grateful that the other boy had pulled him away from her. She sat up as well and they moved off the bed completely.

"What…?"

"I'm sorry, Kairi," Sora said.

"For what?" Kairi asked. What could he possibly feel sorry for? She felt so good, so warm, so content. She was with her two most favorite people in the world and then suddenly he was sorry? He looked absolutely miserable as he watched her. Riku looked very disappointed too.

"Don't get me wrong, I want to keep kissing you, but—but—" Sora looked at Riku helplessly as he searched for the right words. The older boy met his gaze and just nodded at him as though to say '_Just tell her, man_.' Sora took a deep breath before looking at Kairi again. "It's just that—I know if we keep doing this—I—I'm not gonna be able to stop."

Oh. Now Kairi understood. She wasn't completely innocent, after all. A few years ago, when she had just been entering puberty, her mother had pulled her aside for "The Talk." Whether she thought her daughter was spending too much time with teenage boys or she was just paranoid about illicit relationships, Kairi was pretty sure she had gotten the harsher version of what it was like when boys and girls came together.

'_They're like animals,'_ her mother had said. _'Once they reach a certain point, there's no going back for them, no matter how much you say no or try to tell them you don't want it. So, be careful, Kairi. You're so pretty that you'll probably have a lot of boys chasing you. Don't—trust—any—of—them.'_

So, Sora must've reached the point her mother had been talking about. The point of no return. But why would he turn back from it if he was the animal her mother claimed all men were? Why would Riku help him?

Surely they knew that if they really wanted to take her, they could overpower her easily. Hell, _one_ of them could overpower her easily, considering how strong they both become. Both of them together? She didn't stand a chance. And there wasn't even anyone around to hear her scream for help.

But strangely enough, Kairi didn't feel any fear. She knew Sora and Riku. They would never do anything to hurt her. Just like now. Sora had pulled back because he realized that if they continued on that path, she might get hurt. Riku had helped him for the same reason.

They both wanted her, she knew that now without a doubt. She had felt it herself. But they were willing to let her go all the same. That was why Kairi trusted them both, even though her mother had said not to trust boys who wanted her. Lust or not, they were still friends. And they would always be friends.

"Kairi…" Riku said slowly. Kairi looked up at him, breaking off her thoughts again. He looked very uneasy. "Look, I know you don't like the idea of being here without us again—but I really think you should stay home."

"WHAT?" Kairi cried. She thought they were past this!

"If this is any indication of how long we can last—"

'_So, control yourself, dammit!_' Kairi wanted to scream at him. Both Sora and Riku winced at her expression as if she actually _had _yelled at them. Sora actually looked like he wanted to cry.

"We just don't want you to get hurt, Kairi," he said softly.

"And just what do you think you'll be doing that will hurt me so badly?" Kairi demanded. Sora and Riku looked at each other uneasily.

"Kairi, look, you don't understand—" Riku said.

"What don't I understand?" Kairi cried, getting off the bed as well. There was no way she was letting them go that easily. No way. No. No. No.

Sora drifted off to the side, not looking at her and clearly not wanting to be part of this argument, but Riku just stood there, his hair hiding his face and his hands clenched into fists.

"What? Are you telling me the two great Keyblade Masters can't keep their pants on for an extended period of time?"

"Kairi—" Riku growled, still hiding his face.

"Kairi, this is different," Sora said. He looked like he wanted to curl into a ball and die right there on the spot. Since arguing with Riku wasn't getting her anywhere, she turned to face Sora.

"How is it different?"

Before Sora could answer, Kairi saw Riku charge her out of the corner of her eye. She saw him coming, but it was too late to get out of his way. He caught her by the waist and slung her onto the bed. Expecting him to try to pin her again, Kairi rolled away from him, onto her stomach. He caught her in that position and grasped her tightly against him, her back to his front, pinning her arms to her side. Then, just for good measure, he tangled his legs with hers, rendering them useless for any chance of escape. Kairi fought him for a moment, but quickly realized just how futile it was. Riku rolled them over onto their sides effortlessly.

"Riku!"

Kairi looked over to where Sora still stood, his mouth hanging open at his best friend's actions. Behind her, Kairi heard Riku whisper,

"I told you that you should be afraid of us."

Her heart pounded as Kairi realized just what he meant. She couldn't even fight him at all in this position. And Sora was standing there, just as horny as his friend, and just as strong—and if they wanted to, they could— Kairi looked at Sora. He was staring at them, aghast. Kairi felt herself calm again. Yeah, right. Sora rape her? No way.

Riku shifted and pressed his lower body against her back. Shock raced through Kairi as she felt his erection plainly through all of the layers of fabric separating them.

"You see, Kairi?" Riku whispered. "That's the difference. There aren't any bad guys out here for me and Sora to fight. We _are_ the bad guys, Kairi. The darkness is inside of us. We can feel it as much as you can."

Kairi's heart raced again at Riku's low tone. He considered himself the enemy? Suddenly, Sora stepped forward, an uncharacteristically serious look on his face.

"He's right, Kairi," he said sternly. Kairi stared at him. His mouth was saying one thing, but his eyes—his eyes were saying another. They were crying out in pain as to what he and Riku were doing to her.

'_It's an act,'_ Kairi realized. _'They're trying to scare me away.' _That was why Riku had grabbed her the way he did; behind her, so she couldn't see his eyes. He already knew his eyes couldn't lie. Sora's were the same, but he probably didn't even realize it. He had never had a reason to lie like Riku had.

And now, they were trying to scare her away so she wouldn't get caught in the darkness that they were preparing to dive into. So they could go into that darkness and face God-knows-what without having to worry about hurting her in the process. Well, she could appreciate that, but, just this once, she was going to be selfish.

"Now you know," came Riku's ruthless whisper. "So, _leave_." He loosened his hold on her and made to draw away, but Kairi turned in his arms, just enough so he could see her face.

"Look me in the eye and tell me that, Riku," she said calmly. Instantly, he flipped her on her back and brought his head down so their noses were practically touching. His eyes burned into hers, revealing all of his anger, desire, fear, and _yes, there it was_—sadness.

"Leave," he repeated, harshly.

Kairi closed her eyes and closed the distance between them, pressing her lips against his. Since he was no longer holding her arms down, her hands were free to come up around his neck, tangling themselves in his long, silvery hair.

He broke from her with a strangled cry, coming off the bed entirely and crossing the room to pound on the wall pointlessly. Kairi sat up as well, impassively observing the effects of her actions. He was practically killing himself to keep from taking her.

She turned towards Sora, who looked half-ready to run for the door. Determined to make her point, she got up off the bed and went to him, part of her heart breaking as he took a step away from her.

"Kairi, please…" he said desperately, holding out his hands as though to protect himself from her. She knew why. If she pushed him again, he was going to break, and there really would be no going back. Strangely, she felt no fear as she looked at him, his eyes filled with terror at the thought of hurting her.

She smiled and took one of his hands in her own, bringing it up to hold against her cheek. She closed her eyes as she felt him tremble at her touch. He was so warm, but at the same time, shaking. It amazed her that someone who could battle countless monsters could be so afraid of one girl. Or rather, of hurting one girl.

She opened her eyes and smiled at him again, stepping forward so that she was so close she could feel his breath. _'No going back,'_ her heart warned. Kairi simply looked into Sora's eyes again and she knew her answer.

"I'm not afraid of you."

………………………..

Ooooo…Kairi gets a backbone… you don't see that much in fanfiction. At least I haven't.

But how will the boys react to this?

Will they let her go?

If not, how will this relationship work?

My, my. What a friendly-looking button down there.

See it? It says "Go"

I think it wants to be clicked on.

(I love feedback. hint hint)


	5. Chapter 4: The Point of No Return

Wow, more and more reviews. I'm excited!

Finally up to Chapter 4! And here, ladies and gentlemen, is where this little fanfic earns its rating. Chapter 4, the lemon. The Graphic Lemon, to put it lightly.

Let me put it this way, if you thought this story was going to be innocent, you're in for a shock.

Disclaimer: Disney and SquareEnix have nothing to do with this story other than the fact that I'm borrowing their characters and making them do things that are definitely not for kids. And yes, the title is blatantly ripped off from Phantom of the Opera, yet another story where the female lead is expected to choose between two males. Fortunately for Kairi, she gets to make a slightly different decision.

By the way, is anyone else jealous of Kairi for having two hot, buff, devoted males at her beck and call? I know I am. I'd keep them both too.

………………..

**Chapter 4: The Point of No Return**

"I'm not afraid of you," she repeated softly.

Sora stopped breathing for a whole second before he moved. His lips claimed hers hungrily as he pulled her close, his hands running up and down her back, as though he was trying to touch every part of her that he could. Kairi responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back for all she was worth.

Sora groaned and deepened the kiss, pushing her backwards as he did so. Once again stunned by Sora's forcefulness, Kairi meekly complied with his demands, allowing herself to be forced backwards, until the back of her legs hit the bed behind her. Surprised, she broke their kiss as she felt onto the bed again, this time with Sora on top of her.

He pushed himself up with his hands and simply stared at her for a moment before turning back to his best friend, who was watching them from across the room.

"Riku," he called. The other boy shook his head, indecision and fear written all over his face.

"Sora, we shouldn't—"

"Riku, _get your ass over here_," Sora growled in a tone Kairi had never heard him use before.

She wasn't sure what surprised her more; Sora's commanding tone or Riku's instant obedience. Either way, they were soon joined on the bed by a certain silver-haired teen who was still looking at Kairi with troubled eyes. She pushed herself up in a sitting position as Sora moved to one side to allow her to shift closer to Riku.

When she was close enough, instead of kissing her, Riku pulled her against him in a fierce hug. For the first time, Kairi could literally feel his desperation. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't want to let her go. She felt all of the sadness, the loneliness, the fear of the darkness that pervaded his very essence. Above all, she could feel his desperate need of _something_—

She felt a hand take hers and lace her fingers with his. Without looking, she knew it was Sora, because an instant later she felt that warm connection that sang of completeness.

He was rubbing Riku's back as he laced his fingers together with Kairi's. How she knew what he was doing, she didn't know. All that mattered was that they were together. She looked up to smile at them both. Sora smiled back, but Riku still looked unsure.

"Kairi, are you sure you're okay with—"

"Riku, I know you don't want to hurt me, but please," Kairi said, looking up at him. "I trust you two, even with something like this." She thought about that for a moment. "Hell, _especially_ with something like this. I can't think of anyone I'd rather be with."

"But—"

"And if you ask me if I'm okay one more time, I'm going to beat you senseless with that pillow."

Sora snickered at her serious tone and Riku smiled a real smile for the first time in a long time.

"Well, I guess, if you put it _that_ way…."

Before Kairi could reply, he captured her lips, pulling her against him. This time, when his tongue begged for entrance, she granted it. Then she had to clutch him with her free hand as her mind spun when he swam inside and the world dropped out from underneath her again. She was glad she was still sitting down. If she had been standing, she would've fallen as his tongue explored her mouth in a way that made his intentions quite clear. They finally broke for air to see Sora staring at them with his mouth open.

"Damn," he said, swallowing, "that was _hot_."

He crawled closer to them and pressed himself against Kairi's back. Kairi half-turned before both his and Riku's hands shot out to prevent her from moving away. She laughed softly at their reaction. Sora's chin came to rest on Kairi's shoulder and she got the feeling he was grinning at Riku.

"My turn," he said simply.

Riku laughed and leaned forward. At first, Kairi thought he was going to kiss her again, but this time, his lips caught Sora's as his cheek rubbed up against Kairi's when Sora's chin refused to leave her shoulder.

_Wow._

Once again, the world dropped as Kairi felt the two boys battle for dominance in a way that made it so nobody really lost. She may not have been involved in the kiss with her mouth, but oh… she still felt it.

She felt it in the way Sora's hand clutched hers and his body shifted against her back so she could feel practically every inch of him as his other hand slowly played with her thigh in a way that was making her stomach twist and lurch. She felt it in the way Riku's arm kept her firmly captured against them both while his other hand came up slowly to brush against her breast.

Kairi sucked in her breath as Riku let his hand gently cup her and she felt the two boys pause in their kiss to gauge her reaction. When she made no move to stop them, they started their tongue war with renewed vigor, Sora groaning as Riku started to get the better of him. And as he gained ground with Sora, Riku also became bolder with Kairi, gently squeezing and kneading her breast.

It quickly became difficult to breathe.

With Sora still playing slowly with her thigh and Riku rubbing her breast, she could only clutch the two boys as her stomach started doing flip-flops. Something uncurled itself deep down inside her as she struggled to catch her breath.

Then Riku's thumb flicked her nipple. Kairi moaned, unable to hold it back anymore. Riku slowly pulled away from Sora to look Kairi deeply in the eyes as he repeated the movement. She whimpered as something shot through her again, the fire coming to rest dangerously close to where Sora's hand was gradually sliding up her leg. Riku smiled and did it again, making her gasp. Something was building inside her, making her shiver and sweat.

Behind her, she heard Sora chuckle lowly and his hand left her thigh to reach up around her and cup her other breast. Kairi moaned again as he imitated Riku's actions and a pleasant shudder went through her entire body.

"I think she likes it," Sora laughed softly, repeating Riku's words from earlier. Riku smirked at him.

"Copycat."

"Hey! There are two!" Sora said indignantly.

"I can't believe you two are fighting over something like this," Kairi groaned, leaning back against Sora. They still hadn't stopped… not that she wanted them to. They could keep doing that forever as far as she was concerned.

Riku leaned forward again and kissed the part of Kairi's neck that had been exposed when she leaned back, gently suckling it before pulling back slightly.

"Why should we stop fighting?" he whispered huskily. His finger flicked her nipple again, harder than last time and Kairi gasped as he gently laughed. "After all, the battle's just starting to heat up."

"Speaking of heat…," Sora said behind her, his hands leaving her as he moved away. Kairi caught herself as she started to fall and turned to see what he was doing. But she never got the chance as her world was suddenly covered in pink. Sora quickly jerked the rest of her dress over her head.

Blinking, she stared at him as he stared right back her, taking in parts of her he never saw unless they went swimming together, which they hadn't done since before they had gotten back. Kairi knew for a fact that she had changed quite a bit since then. And apparently, Sora liked what he saw, even though he didn't say anything, because his eyes were practically glowing as they skimmed her body. He reached up towards her bra, but Riku pulled her against his chest.

"Mine," he said in a sing-song tone. His fingers fumbled with the clasp for only a moment and then Kairi's bra floated down to join her dress on the floor. Riku pushed her back to arms-length so he could admire his handiwork better, his eyes also glowing in appreciation. Now clad only in her underwear, Kairi felt very self-conscious. The boys seemed to sense it at once, and Sora pressed himself gently against her back, his hands coming up to rub her arms soothingly.

"Kairi…?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Kairi sighed. They still didn't believe her. Maybe it was time to take a more active role in this little game…. She smirked at Riku, who was still within arm's length. "But why am I the only one naked?"

Without further ado, she reached up and jerked the zipper of his shirt all the way down before he even had time to react. Kairi smiled in satisfaction as it uncovered a large portion of pale skin underneath and then laughed at the expression of shock on his face when he finally realized what she'd done. She looked back at Sora and cleared her throat, mock-glaring at him.

"Okay, okay," Sora laughed, getting the point. He reached up and pulled off his shirt, depositing it on the floor with her clothes. He started to fiddle with the buttons on his pants when he looked up and caught his friend's eye. "Riku…" he growled warningly. Riku, who had been inching away towards the edge of the bed, froze. He had clearly been moving away to give them some space.

"Sora—"

"Sora, sic 'em," Kairi said, also glaring at the older boy. Sora grinned evilly.

"Yes, ma'am!" he said, launching himself at the other boy.

Riku didn't have time to protest as they went down into a wrestling match with him on the bottom, Sora ripping off his shirt. Riku yelled and fought back, somehow twisting around the other boy to reach Kairi, who was laughing helplessly beside them. Riku grabbed her as Sora attacked his pants while tickling him to keep him from getting away completely.

"You—wench!" Riku gasped at her as Sora pulled his pants down to his knees. She laughed harder, squirming out of his grip as he struggled with Sora.

"Ha!" Sora said triumphantly, brandishing the newly-freed jeans above his head. His victory was short-lived however, as Kairi took advantage of having his back to her to slip behind him and reach her hands around to unzip his pants, laughing at his squawk of surprise.

"Payback's a bitch," she said sweetly, pushing the pants down over his hips. Riku sat up and took his own revenge on the brunette, grabbing the pants and yanking them off roughly, causing Sora to fall backwards onto Kairi with another undignified squawk. Riku raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Commando, Sora? I never would've—"

"Hey! Those clothes are _fairy_-_made_! They're really comfortable, okay?"

"Still, I'd think you'd want to hide that tiny thing…."

"BULLSHIT! Let's compare!" Sora yelled, freeing himself from Kairi to leap at the other boy again. Riku was ready for him this time, however, and they went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Surprisingly, Sora got Riku's boxers off him relatively easily, but it soon became apparent that Riku had let him take them off as he grinned at his best friend, whose shoulders slumped after a couple of moments inspection. "Damn it. But you're not _that_ much bigger, you know. And you're older, and taller…."

"And _bigger_," Riku said smugly. Sora glared at him. Kairi nearly doubled over laughing.

"Doesn't matter. It's what you do with it that counts," Sora said, sticking out his tongue.

"Hn…" Riku said speculatively, glancing over at Kairi. She caught on and immediately looked around for that pillow. She might not even want to win this battle, but she was still going to fight! She spotted it a few feet away from the bed and lunged for it, only to be immediately grabbed by Sora, who flung her back down on the bed.

Her heart pounding in her ears, she stared up at the boy who was glaring at her with a twinkle in his eye even as he pinned her down on her back again.

"Were you trying to get away?" he asked in a tsk-tsk tone. Kairi opened her mouth and shut it again. Ok, so from his point of view, she had probably been trying to make a run for it while those two distracted by the size of their…well, yeah. Unfortunately, when she didn't answer, Sora clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner even as a smile snuck onto his face.

"Riku, I think she was trying to get away. Whatever shall we do with her?"

"Hmm," Riku said, laying beside them and looking at her with an evil smile. "I think a punishment is in order."

Kairi gaped at the two boys, trying to keep from laughing at their mock-serious expressions that were failing miserably on both their faces.

"No, I wasn't trying—"

"Ooooo… and lying about it too," Sora continued to muse, positioning himself more comfortably above her. "That's two punishments, isn't it?" Riku nodded solemnly.

"I was trying to get the pillow!" Kairi protested, struggling against Sora's grip on her wrists. He raised an eyebrow.

"You were trying to arm yourself?"

Uh oh. That probably constituted the worst possible punishment those two could think of. Which might not be a bad thing…but still. Maybe she should try lying.

"Um, no…. I just thought…maybe it might be more comfortable…."

Sora laughed and leaned in close to her. "You suck at lying too, you know." She glared at him and pouted, earning yet a another laugh from the boys.

Sora relaxed his grip for a moment and Kairi immediately took advantage of his dropped guard to arch her back and throw him off her. Sora actually rolled completely off the bed before he could correct himself, yelping at he hit the floor.

Unfortunately, Kairi wasn't quick enough to get off the bed and was once again captured from behind by a laughing Riku. She struggled against him for a minute until he demonstrated just how much more powerful he was as he calmly wrapped his arms around her squirming body and pulled her up against him.

"Damn," she muttered, going limp against him as he buried his face in her hair. She looked up to see Sora's face caught somewhere between a glare and a smirk as he got back onto the bed.

"That's four punishments now, Kairi," he said, with a grin. "This is going to be a long night!"

"We'd best get started then," Riku said softly, one of his hands slowly reaching up to claim her breast. Kairi felt the heat inside her building up again. Playtime was over.

Riku looked over at his best friend, who was watching them and almost drooling. "You ready, Sora?" Sora shook himself out of it and crawled forward, nodding.

"After that move she just pulled on me? Hell, yes," he said. Kairi laughed, but it was cut short as Riku tipped them backwards onto the bed. Sora followed them, claiming her other breast with his mouth. She gasped at the strange feeling and felt both the quivering feeling in her stomach return and the moisture that began to pool between her legs.

Sora groaned on top of her and his hand reached up to lace fingers with Riku's free hand. Kairi buried one hand in his hair and reached up to stroke Riku's face behind her with the other. Her body felt like it was on fire, waves of pleasure coursing through her with every move they made against her. Riku nipped at her fingers gently before kissing them, continuing to knead her breast.

She moaned as she felt Sora's knee wedge her legs apart as he slowly lowered himself onto her. He hesitated and then smiled at her as his free hand came down to cup her through the fabric that was still protecting her innermost parts. She actually whimpered at the contact, her body burning for more. Sora understood completely and rose off her just enough to kiss a path down her body so he could sit up and take off that last article of clothing.

Kairi shivered at the sudden exposure, and then realized that Riku had gone completely still beneath her. It didn't even feel like he was breathing, even though she could still hear the pounding of his heart.

"Riku?" she called softly, allowing the hand on his face to caress his cheek again. "Are you okay?" He turned his head to kiss the palm of her hand.

"I'm fine," he whispered back, his voice not-quite breaking. "You two keep going."

"Are you sure?" Sora asked, once again above hovering above Kairi. He glanced meaningfully down at his friend. "Are you gonna be able to make it?" Riku nodded sharply. Kairi suddenly understood just what kind of situation the two boys were in. After all, they couldn't both have her at once, but they would still feel the arousal, and considering just how much they had shared so far, they would probably share in the experience itself, but one of them would have to be excluded….

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Kairi asked, looking up at Riku as best she could. He looked at her like he wanted to assure her he was fine once again, but then an idea popped into his head.

"Actually…."

He reached up and took her hand from his face and guided it slowly down his body. Kairi drew in her breath quickly as she touched him for the first time. He was smooth and rock-hard, but the skin looked as sensitive as a baby's. And it probably _was_ that sensitive, considering how Riku's heartbeat spiraled out of control and his breathing grew ragged the moment she touched him. His hand continued to guide hers as she explored him timidly. Both Sora and Riku groaned simultaneously, Sora burying his face in Kairi's shoulder.

"Gods, how come I can feel that as if _I'm_ the one…" he whispered.

"Our hearts are connected," Riku whispered slyly, chuckling even as his body shivered in response to Kairi's touch. Honestly, she kind of liked this feeling, knowing that she was the reason he threw his head back like that when her thumb gently flicked the tip of him.

"Sora," he said raggedly. "Sora, now…."

Kairi paused in her ministrations as Sora moved over her, much like a cat stalking his prey. His eyes were practically glowing in intensity as his legs wedged hers even further apart and his arms braced him so his full weight wasn't on her.

She smiled and reached up with her free hand to stroke his face. She should be terrified, shouldn't she? But really, she wanted this so much. Wanted _him_ so much….

She gasped as something foreign surged up into her, breaking whatever barrier had been there before. The unexpected pain almost brought tears to her eyes and Sora immediately retreated.

"Sorry—I'm sorry—I didn't mean to—I didn't think it would hurt so much—Oh, damn it—I just—Kairi? Are you—"

"I'm okay," Kairi breathed, grinding her teeth to shake off the pain. She looked up into Sora's worried face and smiled again. "It's supposed to hurt the first time, right?"

"Just give her some time to get used to it, Sora," Riku said. Even though she couldn't see him, Kairi could feel his smirk, though it sounded like he was grinding his teeth. "That's just like you, isn't it, diving right in without a second thought…"

Sora sputtered incoherently for a moment, but couldn't deny the truth of the statement.

"And you," Riku said, nudging Kairi from behind, "need to relax a little. Are you willing to try again?"

Kairi took a deep breath and forced herself to do as she was told. She nodded.

"Good. Wrap your legs around him if you can. And for God's sake," he almost whimpered, "loosen your grip on me…."

Kairi gasped and immediately broke the grip she had on his length. Oh no! How tightly had she grabbed him? Judging from his relieved chuckle, _that_ hadn't felt comfortable in the least…

"Oh, gods, Riku, I'm so sorry," she whispered, half-turning to him. He laughed softly.

"Relax," he repeated lowly, pulling her closer. She felt him turn towards Sora. "This is going to be harder than I expected." Sora nodded mutely, but refused to look at her.

"Sora?" Kairi asked, worried. "We can try again…"

"I don't want to hurt you," he said.

"You won't," Kairi said, reaching for him. "I told you I wasn't afraid of you." Compelled, Sora crawled back overtop of her, his blue eyes still troubled as they roamed over her body.

"But I—"

"Sora, try that technique I used with you," Riku said suddenly. Startled, they both looked at him. "You know, to get her ready."

"But she shouldn't need it, right? She's a girl--,"

"So, you two have done this before. I thought so," Kairi murmured, smirking at Sora's bright red face.

"Trust me. It'll help," Riku said, ignoring Kairi's statement. Sora sighed and reached down to where Kairi's legs were tangled with his.

"One of these days, you're going to tell me just how you know so much about this," he said. Kairi opened her mouth to ask the same thing, but it broke off quickly as she suddenly felt Sora's fingers slowly pushing themselves into her. Gasping at the sudden intrusion, she felt her back arch instinctively.

Sora paused, but didn't retreat as Kairi's gasp slowly turned into a deep moan. What had felt strange and foreign before, suddenly felt…good. Very good, in fact. Even better when his fingers began moving slowly inside her. Kairi twisted and groaned, part of her still feeling a slight bit of pain, but most of her wanting Sora to never, ever stop what he was doing.

Beneath her, Riku chuckled and reached down to where she was still touching him. He covered her hand with his, guiding it back and forth against his arousal, making certain that she didn't accidentally repeat what had happened before. Kairi looked at him gratefully as Sora withdrew his fingers for a moment. She wanted so much to please them both….

Riku caught her mouth with his own at the same instant Sora's fingers were replaced with something much larger inside her. Kairi gasped again, but Riku murmured against her, "Breathe. Just breathe," and suddenly, the world dropped out from underneath her once again as Sora moved inside of her and all she knew was _them_…

Riku reclaimed her lips as Sora latched onto a breast, clutching her as he began to thrust deeper and deeper into her body. Kairi wrenched away from Riku to gasp and then to moan as her body responded to Sora's thrusts to meet him halfway. Sora let out a ragged cry and clutched her to him tighter, increasing his pace.

"That's it, Kairi. That's it," Riku whispered breathlessly, his hand guiding hers in a rhythm that matched Sora's perfectly. Kairi cried out as the pressure building inside her reached its peak. She felt Sora and Riku join her as the world exploded into a burst of white light.

Sora collapsed on top of her, spent, gasping and sweating. Beneath her, Riku was panting and clutching both her and Sora to him at once. As she struggled to catch her own breath, Kairi couldn't help noticing that, despite the fact that she was still trembling in the aftermath of that wonderful explosion, the world couldn't seem more perfect right now.

She had already released her hold on Riku, but now his hand clutched hers, unwilling to her go just yet. Sora was the same, with one arm underneath her, holding her close with his face buried in her neck while he continued to catch his breath. Kairi took a deep breath, her body easily relaxing into theirs. She squeezed Riku's hand reassuringly and then brought her other hand up to stroke Sora's hair.

Right now, she wouldn't have minded if they never moved again. Everything was perfect. Closing her eyes, a small part of her noticed that all three of their heartbeats were completely in sync. They were also almost back to normal.

"Can we just stay this way forever?" Sora mumbled softly.

……………….

sigh

Sorry, Sora. But no. That isn't the end of the story. Not by a long shot.

There are still too many loose ends I need to tie up first.

Once again, I update faster when I get more reviews. -

I like to know what parts are good and which are bad….


	6. Chapter 5: Hurt and Love

Yes, I am finally back. What took me so long? Summer is crazy. That's all I'll say.

Originally, I was going to wait until I had 15 reviews, but that doesn't look likely right now, especially since it's been months since I last updated. So I figured I'd update now and hope for 15 later. This chapter should have some people trying to talk to me. It's another lemon. A special treat for all you shonen-ai lovers! –

If you don't like that kind of stuff… well, how did you get here in the first place? O.o

Many thanks to everyone who has updated and favorited so far!

celestafairy89, MavsGirl22, jka1 (Wow, three times! I love you!), Pokey the Great, ProblemsBeyondIssues (Twice! huggles), Oathkeepera (Twice! huggles), She'sNoGLASSDOLL, and Kajifire! You're the best!!

**Disclaimer:** After 13 trips to my psychiatrist and countless nights lying awake and sucking my thumb, I am forced to conclude that:

I OWN KINGDOM HEARTS!!! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA—

Is hit with a Keyblade

—HA.

Or not.

…………………

**Chapter 5: Hurt and Love**

"_Can we just stay this way forever?" Sora mumbled softly_. Riku laughed.

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I'm soaked," he said. Kairi giggled as she realized he was right. All three of them were covered with sweat and other—fluids. In fact, it was getting a bit chilly…. Sora groaned and reluctantly rolled off of them to stand beside the bed.

"I need a bigger bed," he said, looking at the piece of furniture with a scowl. Riku laughed.

"Try explaining that one to your mom," he said, sitting up with Kairi and smirking at Sora.

"Yeah, right. Only if you want to give her a heart attack," Kairi said, slowly moving her legs to dangle off the edge of the bed. Her lower body felt a bit tender, but she didn't want to alarm Sora and Riku by saying so. Unfortunately, the two boys in the room just happened to be the two people who knew her best. Sora leaned down to look her in the face.

"Did I hurt you?" he asked anxiously.

"I'll be fine," she said, smiling at him reassuringly. "Actually, I'm more worried about Riku…" she glanced behind her towards the silver-haired teen, still feeling bad about what she had done to him.

"Just don't do it again," he said with a glare.

"Sorry," she said, blushing.

"No worries," he said, gathering her in his arms to kiss her hair, "I still blame Sora for that one." Kairi laughed as Sora glared at his best friend.

"You're the one who told me to go," he muttered, sitting with them on the bed. Riku grinned and ruffled his hair, ignoring the other boy's scowl.

"I didn't expect you to just shove into her like that," he said. "Geez, you'd think after your own reaction, you'd be more—"

"Hold on, hold on," Kairi interrupted, looking at both boys. Sora was once again blushing. "You two… You've done this before. When? How?"

"Umm… well, you see, it didn't work out very well, but…"

"Right before you came barging in actually," Riku said mildly. Kairi gaped at him. Sora laughed nervously and Riku continued. "Didn't you wonder why the lights were on and we were both still dressed? We heard you downstairs. Though Sora did have trouble with his shirt…"

"Oh," was all she could say for a moment. Finally, she gathered her wits.

"I didn't interrupt you two, did I?"

"No," Riku said with a snort. "Like we said before, it didn't really work out too well."

Kairi glanced at Sora, who was strangely silent. "Are _you_ okay?" she asked, half-teasingly. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Sora is strangely reluctant to be dominated," Riku mused. "And yet he has no problem—"

"It just felt weird, okay?" Sora interrupted, looking away and blushing even more. "Besides, Kairi wasn't here so we didn't have that—um, weird connectedness thingy…."

"Weird connectedness thingy," Riku repeated slowly, one eyebrow raised.

"You know what I mean!" Sora snapped, glaring at his friend. "Geez, I almost want to call it a Trinity 'cause it kinda felt like one, just a lot more intense…."

"Sora, wasn't a Trinity what you told us you did with Donald and Goofy?" Kairi asked slowly.

"Well, yeah, but—it wasn't like that!" he sputtered.

"I think there's something you need to tell us," Riku said, smirking. Sora sputtered some more incoherent words before pulling out the already badly-used pillow and whacking them both with it as they laughed even harder and only made half-hearted attempts to block him.

"Fine, it was nothing like a Trinity. It was more like—"

"Don't even mention a Drive Form!" Riku gasped out between laughs.

Sora growled at him and attacked them both with the pillow again until Kairi caught it and wrenched it away from him as Riku started tickling him mercilessly. Not sure who she should support, Kairi attacked them both with the pillow as opportunities presented themselves.

Unfortunately, (or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it) their close proximity to each other and fun-but-intense play caused both boys to soon have the same problem they had had a few minutes ago. And Kairi felt it just as strongly as they did.

Breathing heavily, Sora wrapped his arms around Riku's waist as they fell on their sides. The other boy had given up trying to tickle him in favor of disarming Kairi, who was now snuggled up against Sora's back since she had tried to use him as a shield against the vengeful Riku. Riku sighed and stroked Sora's hair, then allowed his other hand to brush Kairi's shoulder, connecting all three of them again. Kairi also sighed in contentment, catching his hand with hers and lacing their fingers together.

"Anyone up for round two?" Sora muttered in Riku's chest. Riku snorted his laughter, but when Sora looked up to confront him about it, he caught the other boy's mouth with his own. Kairi smiled in satisfaction as she felt the now-familiar dropping sensation and the warm, pleasant feeling of something building inside her again.

"Horny little bugger, aren't you?" Riku murmured as he ended the kiss.

"Yeah, like you're any better," Sora shot back, reaching down and exploring Riku's 'little problem.' Riku closed his eyes like he was trying very hard to control himself.

"Kairi," he asked, opening his eyes to look at her, "are you…?"

He let his question trail off as he remembered her earlier threat. Kairi got the point, though. This time, however, she bit her lip nervously. Was she ready for another go? Honestly, she still felt kinda sore…but it was supposed to feel like that, right? Besides, before there had been pain, but there had been pleasure too. Maybe she just needed to get used to it…

"I think so," she said honestly. Sora turned in Riku's arms to face her, looking worried. She smiled at him reassuringly. "I'm all right, really, Sora. I'm just not used to it yet."

"Maybe…" Sora said. He reached up and kissed her gently. Behind him, Riku chuckled and muttered something like "horny little…."

Ignoring him, Sora moved over Kairi, bringing his body flush with her own. She tensed as she felt his semi-familiar weight on top of her again, but didn't stop him. Instead, she buried one hand in his hair and held the other out to Riku, inviting him to join them, which he did, watching them with glowing eyes. Sora slowly moved over her, bringing his knee up to separate her legs. Taking her cue from last time, Kairi obediently spread her legs as she felt Sora smile and start to work his way down her neck with his mouth.

She stiffened as she felt him at her entrance, but relaxed as she felt Riku gently kiss her forehead. So she wasn't at all ready when Sora's fingers pushed into her once more and couldn't cut off her cry of pain. Instantly, Sora jerked away from her and stared down at her with wide eyes.

"Sora—" Riku said, reaching his hand out to his friend.

"No! Arg…dammit!" Sora said, knocking the hand away and getting off the bed. "I knew it. I knew I was hurting you…"

"Sora," Kairi said placatingly, "it's all right—"

"It is not all right!" Sora said furiously. "You're supposed to hurt the ones you love! Especially not when you feel good about it at the same time!" He turned away from them to bang his head on the wall, muttering barely audible phrases like "…all that time…," "…looking everywhere…," "…never should've found…"

"Sora, I felt the same—" Kairi started, but Riku stopped her. She looked at him in surprise and he indicated Sora with a nod of his head. Kairi looked back to realize that Sora had covered his ears and was still muttering to himself about everything he shouldn't have done. She looked away. "But I felt the same thing you guys did," she said softly. "It really didn't hurt back then…."

"I know," Riku said. "But Sora—Sora is used to getting things right on the first try, simply by listening to his heart. So when his heart tell him to—" (he indicated her) "and then something bad happens, well…"

"It destroys his self-confidence," Kairi finished for him. She looked back at their friend. "But how can I tell him…it didn't hurt me as badly as he thinks it did? And it's not like you two forced me to do anything, I wanted you too."

"Hmm," Riku said. "He was all for it before…."

"He was horny then, remember?" Kairi laughed softly. Riku smiled at her mischievously.

"Then maybe we need to get him horny again," he said suggestively. Kairi smiled.

"I think that's a wonderful idea," she said, standing up. She held out her hand to him. "So, Riku, will you help me seduce our beloved Keyblade Master?"

"With pleasure," Riku said, taking her hand.

Kairi giggled as they made their way to Sora unnoticed. When they got close, Riku dropped her hand and indicated where she should go with his eyes. Kairi couldn't help grinning as Riku himself slipped into the shadows where Sora couldn't see him.

She, on the other hand, walked right up to Sora and slipped in between him and the wall before he could bang his head again. She covered his hands on his ears with her own and smiled at him when he looked up at her, startled. Slowly, she drew his hands down.

"Now, are you ready to talk, or do you want to pout some more?" she asked.

"Kairi, I—"

"You didn't hurt me half as bad as you think, Sora," she interrupted. "I'm just sore from last time—"

"But last time I did hurt you!" Sora burst out. "I know I did! I felt it! And I kept going…."

"And I'm glad you did," Kairi said, drawing him closer to her. "It was wonderful, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, for me," Sora said miserably.

"For me too," Kairi said. Sora looked up at her.

"You're just saying that…."

"Since when have I 'just said' anything?" Kairi asked, now slightly annoyed. He knew her better than that! "I love you, Sora. I want to be with you. Now, are you going to kiss me or not?"

Sora opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face and he turned towards the bed. "Riku—"

Kairi cut him off by pulling his head back towards hers and kissing him fiercely. Stunned, Sora didn't move. Smiling through the kiss, Kairi gradually relaxed her hold and turned the kiss into something much sweeter as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Sora responded slowly and Kairi encouraged him, nibbling on his bottom lip. Surprised, Sora opened his mouth and Kairi took the opportunity to sweep inside and plunder it as thoroughly as he had plundered hers before.

Instantly, Sora's arms were around her waist, pressing her closer to him as he took over. Kairi smiled again at his erection digging into her stomach and pushed herself closer. As if he guessed her intentions, Sora drew back slightly, his eyes still dark with lust.

"Kairi, we shouldn't…"

"Heh. You sound like me," a deep voice said behind Sora. Sora squeaked in alarm and tried to turn towards the voice, but Kairi held him firmly in place as Riku came up behind him. Sora looked from her to Riku, not quite understanding what they were doing just yet as Riku wrapped his arms around Sora's waist and whispered in his ear, "looks like the argument still isn't going to be won."

Sora shivered at Riku's breath in his ear and looked back at Kairi. "What are you—" His voice cut off as one of Riku's hands let go of his waist to skim down his backside. "Ri-ku…" Sora's hands, which were still wrapped around Kairi's waist, started to tremble.

"Do you not want this?" Riku asked softly, his breath continuing to tickle Sora's ear as his hand gripped Sora's ass. Kairi smiled as Sora was unable to respond. In fact, he looked like he was having trouble breathing. She pulled back slightly and looked down at him.

"No, he seems to like it quite a bit," she said casually. Riku chuckled as Sora gaped at her. She smiled at him sweetly. "Scared?"

"You set me up," he exclaimed. Kairi laughed and pulled him closer to her again.

"Yep," she said, and kissed Riku from where his mouth was hovering near Sora's ear. At the same time, Riku pushed a finger inside his best friend. Sora gasped and groaned, burying his face in Kairi's neck and gripping her harder than ever before. Kairi smiled as Sora's erection didn't go away, but in fact, seemed to grow a bit.

Riku started to move his finger inside Sora, who shuddered at every movement. Kairi pulled away from Riku and loosened one of her arms from around Sora's neck to skim his chest, just as Riku had done with his back. Sora's breathing turned ragged.

"I think he likes it…" Kairi mused as her hand trailed lower. Riku smirked at her before lowering his mouth to Sora's neck and suckling gently. Carefully, he inserted another finger and Sora cried out, gripping Kairi even tighter.

"Does it hurt, Sora?" Kairi asked softly.

"Yes," Sora gasped. Riku paused.

"Do you want me to stop?" he asked.

"No," Sora whispered. "Please don't—don't stop…." Riku smiled at Kairi again and continued his ministrations. Sora whimpered again, but the feeling that was radiating off him with one of intense pleasure. "Riku, please…."

"I think we need to take this to the bed," Riku said, slowly withdrawing. Sora shot him a lust-filled glance before turning back to Kairi, who grinned at him. Without a word, he scooped her up and practically ran with her to the bed where he deposited her. He then leaned over her with one arm bracing him on each side of her head. His eyes stared intensely into hers for a moment before he looked back at his friend.

"Riku?" he asked expectantly. The silver-haired boy came up behind him with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You sure you're ready?" he asked. Sora nodded, looking back at Kairi. She smiled up at him and then reached up and pulled his head down for another kiss. The kiss was intense, but brief, as Sora cut it off.

"Riku!" he said impatiently. Silently, Riku positioned himself behind Sora and slowly pushed into his friend. Sora ground his teeth, trying to get used to it. Riku stopped as soon as he was fully inside and Kairi saw him frown.

"Sora?" he asked, sounding confused. "Sora, take her."

"No!" Sora said between his teeth. "Not this time. I won't hurt her."

Kairi saw a mix of pain and betrayal wash over Riku's face and she realized what Sora was doing. He thought he had hurt her, so now he was allowing himself to be hurt as punishment. Oh gods, how must Riku feel, knowing he was the one Sora had chosen to punish himself with? He loved Sora more than anything. Enough to give her up to him so they could be happy!

Angry and hurt at her friend's stubbornness, Kairi pushed herself up into a sitting position. She was going to prove to them both that they could all love each other and not hurt each other in the process! She already knew that Sora wouldn't take her, but there was more than one way to skin a cat….

"Fine," she said. "Don't hurt me. But don't hurt yourself, either. That would hurt me even more." Sora looked at her in surprise as Kairi wrapped her arm around his neck and kissed him again, this time softly. Then she pulled back and nodded at Riku, begging him with her eyes to begin again. He blinked at her as she whispered into Sora's ear.

"You _will_ enjoy this. You know why? That's Riku behind you. _Riku_. Who loves you more than anything else in the world. He would never hurt you, Sora. And he's right here. And so am I." With that, she reached down with her free hand and stroked him lightly, just as Riku had taught her. Sora whimpered again with pleasure and Kairi pulled back just enough to see the tears fall down his face.

"I love you, Sora. You could never hurt me," Kairi said, continuing to stroke him.

"Kairi—Kairi, I love you," Sora choked out through his tears. He looked back. "Riku—no wait!" he said, as Riku started to pull out. Kairi stopped. "Please, I'm sorry. Riku, please, I love you…don't stop."

"I don't want to hurt you, Sora," Riku said, his voice emotionless.

"You weren't going to hurt me before, right?" Sora asked sadly.

"Of course not!"

"So, do it," Sora said, his voice gaining confidence. "I want to know what it feels like…to have someone I love inside me."

"Sora…" Riku nearly choked on his friend's name. Kairi met his eyes and smiled. He looked like he had just been saved. He took a ragged breath and smiled back at her before positioning himself again. "I'm going to go slow, okay? Try to relax."

"'kay," Sora murmured. He rested his forehead on Kairi's shoulder. Riku smiled even wider and reached up to where Kairi's hand had slid over to rest on Sora's shoulder and covered it with his own. Kairi closed her eyes as the now familiar feeling on completeness washed over her and almost laughed as she now felt the strength of the love of the two with her. And as they all recognized the emotion for what it was, it swelled in intensity, drowning them. Consuming them.

"Oh my god," Riku breathed and, almost as a reflex, moved against Sora. Sora threw his head back and groaned. Kairi felt a wave of pleasure rip through her and gasped, smiling since she knew exactly where it came from.

Riku thrust again and Sora whimpered this time as the wave crashed over them. Leaning back and reaching up, he pulled Riku's head down and somehow managed to twist enough to give him a very passionate kiss. Growling, Riku continued his rhythm, pulling Sora closer. Sora pulled away for a moment.

"Kairi…?" he asked, letting go of Riku long enough to grab her free hand, which was resting beside his forgotten erection. He looked down at her with a silent 'could you, please?' and Kairi smiled and took hold of him once more. Remembering what Riku had done earlier, she tried to match her strokes to the boys' thrusts. Soon Sora was moaning even louder than before, only to be cut off when Riku claimed his mouth again. His hand came up again to be buried in his friend's silver hair.

Kairi smirked at the sight of them together. Gods, they looked good enough to eat…. And Sora's neck was bared as his head was turned into Riku's kiss. _'Payback,'_ she thought, and sat up straighter so she could reach it with her mouth. She felt Sora's breath catch as soon as she kissed his neck gently.

Riku chuckled into the kiss, pausing only a moment before increasing his pace. Kairi smiled and increased her own before finding a place she liked on Sora's neck and starting to suck. Sora groaned deeply in the kiss, thrusting desperately into her hand. He finally had to pull his mouth away from Riku to catch his breath.

"Come on. That's it," Riku said, thrusting harder.

"Mmm," Sora moaned. "M-more. More, Riku!"

Kairi could feel it building again, this time at an exponential rate as Riku responded to Sora's demands. She pulled away slightly as she realized the pressure was building inside her as well, even though she was barely connected to them. Sora clutched her desperately, crying out as the pressure reached its peak. Kairi gasped as the world exploded once more.

Shaking, the two boys collapsed on top of her and they all went down in a tangle of arms and legs. Kairi shifted a bit to make herself more comfortable, but other than that, the world was perfect once again. They all clutched each other tightly, unwilling to waste even a single moment of bliss until the very last echoes had faded. Once again, it was Sora who broke the silence.

"I can't move," he said.

Riku snorted in laughter and rolled off to sprawl beside him on the bed. Sora started to get up and then winced.

"No, I'm serious. I think you broke me," he said, laughing helplessly on top of Kairi. Kairi giggled and Riku rolled his eyes.

"Oh come on, Sora. I thought you were stronger than that," he said.

"So did I," Sora muttered. He looked down at Kairi. "Hope you don't mind, but I don't think I'm moving." Kairi laughed.

"That's okay, you're not too bad as a blanket," she said. His eyes lit up.

"Yeah?" he said, then he scooted down a little and laid his head right between her breasts. "You're not too bad as a pillow either."

"Oh, so _that's_ why you're not moving!" Riku exclaimed. Sora grinned at him.

"You're just jealous you didn't think of it first," he said tauntingly. Kairi laughed again and held her arm out to Riku.

"I think I need a teddy bear too," she said. Riku smiled and scooted closer to them. Before he settled down, however, he pushed Kairi around until they were positioned correctly on the bed and then grabbed the blanket and draped it over them.

"Hmm," Sora sighed contentedly. "Riku, what would we do without you?"

"Be cold," Riku said, settling in beside Kairi. Sora laughed. Kairi smiled at Riku and then realized she hadn't said something.

"I love you too, you know," she said. He smiled back at her.

"I know. And I love you," he gently kissed her forehead and then her lips.

"Uh, guys, you're not starting up again, are you? 'Cause I honestly can't move," Sora said. Riku laughed and ruffled Sora's hair.

"No, we're not starting up again. Go to sleep, you wimp."

"Whatever. Next time, I'm on top. Then we'll see who's the wimp," Sora retorted, snuggling closer to Kairi. Kairi shook her head. These two were going to be the death of her….

"Sora! Sora, I'm home!"

Kairi winced at the loud voice. When she tried to open her eyes, however, there was a bright light shining right in her face. It was warm. _'Sunlight_,' Kairi realized after a minute. '_Wait. Sunlight?!_' She sat up quickly, only to be weighted down by Sora, who was still waking up. She looked around. Sure enough, it was morning. And Sora's mom was downstairs, calling for her son, who was currently naked and sleeping in between her—

"Oh my God. Wake up, Sora!" Kairi whispered furiously. They must've fallen asleep. If Sora's mom came up here, she would find…

"Sora? Are you still asleep?" Sora's mom called from downstairs.

"Wha—?" Sora asked, still drowsy. Beside them, Riku came awake with the same alarmed expression Kairi was wearing.

"Oh shit," he said. He pushed Sora off of Kairi. "I'll wake him. Get your clothes, quick! If she finds you here…."

He didn't need to finish that sentence, Kairi was already moving. Wincing slightly from the pain that was still there from the night before, Kairi grabbed her clothes and threw them on.

"Sora? It's nearly nine—" Sora's mom was right outside the door. Suddenly, Sora was there, locking the door. Apparently, Riku really did know how to wake him up.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm up," Sora called, grabbing his own clothes and throwing Riku his.

"Oh good—" the door rattled. "Honey, why is the door locked? Open up."

"Sorry, Mom," Sora said, panicking as he groped for a good excuse, "uh—Riku stayed over last night and we kinda made a mess up here that I don't want you to see…" Riku glared at him with an expression that plainly said _'You couldn't come up with anything better than that?'_ Sora shrugged helplessly. Riku opened the window and looked to see if the coast was clear.

"Oh, Riku's here? Hi, Riku!" Sora's mom called.

"Hi!" Riku answered, wincing. He held the window open for Kairi as she climbed out, trying not to slip.

"Did you two have fun last night?"

Kairi stifled her giggle and looked back at Sora, who was grinning widely.

"Yeah, Mom, we had lots of fun."

"Go," Riku whispered. She smiled at him and gave him a quick kiss before jumping out the window.

She landed softly and looked up one more time to see Riku grin down at her before closing the window again. She took off through the bushes around Sora's house, not stopping until she came to her own backyard. If Sora's parents were home, then hers would be too. She just hoped they hadn't tried to check in on her yet. They probably hadn't. Father always had stuff to do, being the mayor of their small community, and Mother had probably bought a bunch of stuff on the mainland and would need to direct the servants on where to put it.

Kairi climbed the tree that knocked against her window every night and jumped from there to the window sill. Thank God she usually kept it open anyway. She climbed inside and froze.

"Hello, Kairi," Mother said, sitting in Kairi's favorite chair.

"Oh, um, hi, Mom," Kairi said weakly.

"Do you have any idea how worried we've been, young lady?" Father asked, from where he was standing right behind Mother.

"Oh…sorry," Kairi said, deciding to play innocent. "I just went to go see Sora…"

"And decided to sneak back in through the window?" Mother finished, arching one eyebrow. Kairi winced. She really should've thought this through.

"I just… didn't want to interrupt—you moving your things back in here," Kairi stammered. Damn, she really sucked at lying. Mother opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped, her eyes growing wide.

"Kairi, why is your dress on inside-out?"

…………………………………

Oh, snap.

Don't worry. That isn't the end.

Here's the plan: you review, and I update. Ok?


	7. Chapter 6: A Serious Problem

Yay for reviewers! I love you guys!

Okay. We're going to try something different this time. I'm going to switch to Riku's POV for the time being. Why? Because I can. And because it'll be a challenge for me to write the thoughts of a guy, never having been one myself… But this should still be fun!

**Disclaimer:** I am currently holding a Heartless hostage. If you want him back, Disney and SquareEnix, you must give me the rights to Kingdom Hearts. I am not joking.

Hey! Wait, where are you going? Why are you laughing like that? Don't you care about your Heartless? Wait! You're not going to just leave me here with this thing, are you? HEY!

Damn.

I still don't own them.

Except for this stupid Heartless. XD

Once again, I am switching to Riku's POV. Just in case you didn't catch it before.

……………………………………….

"_Kairi, why is your dress on inside-out?"_

**Chapter 6: A Serious Problem **

Their main problem, Riku mused, was that none of them could lie worth a damn.

He opened one eye from where he was leaning up against the wall of Sora's living room. From there, he could see his best friend wincing as his mother continued to yell and rant about how wrong this whole situation was. Even Sora's hair was drooping.

What had started out as a little mistake of Kairi having her dress on the wrong way (Riku still wasn't too sure how none of them noticed that) had culminated into having all three sets of parents knowing exactly what they had done last night. (Well, at least he hoped they were a little unsure about the details…that would be very awkward.) Right now, Riku absolutely hated the telephone system.

Kairi's parents had called Sora's mom because Kairi had let it slip that she had been over here and she had come in with her dress on wrong. Sora's mom had known that Riku was here and that Sora and Riku had been reluctant to let her in the room when they first woke up. That had resulted in Riku's parents being called, and his mother had reported that Kairi had come looking for Riku at about two in the morning.

Unfortunately, Sora's mom was able to put two and two together and had checked Sora's room more carefully. There, she had found all the evidence she had needed. They had forgotten to wash the sheets when they cleaned up after Kairi left. Then Sora's mom had made more phone calls and questioned both him and Sora closely, something that Riku never wanted to experience again. That woman was scary. From there, she had been able to piece together what had happened and, in her initial panic, had let it slip to the other parents as well. Not good.

As a consequence, Kairi had apparently been locked in her room and was forbidden to have any contact with either Sora or Riku until this whole mess was cleared up. Sora was currently getting a verbal whipping from his mother and Riku's parents were on the way. Riku snorted his laughter. This should be fun.

"Are you laughing, Riku?" Sora's mother turned on him angrily. He straightened up quickly. Oops.

"Er…"

"You think this is funny, don't you?" she accused, moving around the couch towards him. Sora looked at him with an expression that clearly said, _'eek!_' "You honestly don't care that you've jeopardized that girl's future, do you?!"

Riku just stared at her, stunned into silence. What? She couldn't possibly mean….

"I would appreciate it if you didn't lay all the blame on my son's shoulders," Riku's father said from the doorway, where he and Riku's mother had just entered. Riku winced. His mother was in tears. Dear God, you'd think they'd killed somebody.

"I'm not," Sora's mother snapped, rounding on him. "If you had come any sooner, you would've known that I blame Sora just as much!"

"My wife had to compose herself," he said with dignity, indicating the woman at his side. Riku rolled his eyes. Yeah, Mom was completely composed. Right.

"Riku, how could you!" she cried, flinging herself at her son, sobbing hysterically. He caught her before she could throw herself on the floor. And people wondered why he wanted to leave the islands….

"Relax, Mom. It's not like we did anything bad," he said.

"What!" Sora's mom rounded on him again. "You think you didn't do anything wrong?!"

"Mom, calm down!" Sora said, rising from the couch slowly and looking at her with wide, pleading eyes. "We tried not to hurt her, honest!"

Riku's mother fainted dramatically. Riku winced. Sora really did have a knack for saying things in the worst possible way…. Suddenly, Riku's father was in front of him. He looked at Riku hard as he picked up his unconscious wife.

"You raped her?" he asked.

"No," Riku said, glaring right back at him. "It was consensual, I swear."

"But two-on-one?" Sora's mother interrupted. "Sora, why…?"

"I like them both," Sora said simply. Riku silently thanked the gods that Sora hadn't used the other "l" word. That would really set the parents off. As it was, Riku's father glanced from Sora back to Riku.

"And him?" he asked gruffly, indicating Sora with his head. Riku paused.

"I let him," Sora said, his tone matching Riku's father's. Riku looked at his friend to see his eyes burning with anger.

After everything they had worked through last night, it was already falling apart. Riku could sense that Sora didn't want to lose what they had gained last night. Trust. Love. Completeness. All while keeping their friendship intact. That had to count for something, right? But their parents would never understand….

"Fine," Riku's father said. Riku looked at him in surprise. He had expected more of a fight. Riku's father looked back at him. "I am not going to judge your relationships with your friends, Riku. Only understand that I cannot allow you to contact that Kairi girl. Her father is a business friend and I will not jeopardize his position or mine with an illicit relationship."

"I understand," Riku said quietly. That didn't mean he had to listen.

"WHAT? What about Sora?" Sora's mother screamed.

"I'm sure you've already heard some of the rumors going around about these two already," Riku's father said icily, making his way to the door with his wife in his arms. "Gone for years and coming back _together_ with stories of darkness and keys and swallowed hearts and looking much more confident and fit than before. Not to mention how comfortable they remain around each other."

"They've always been comfortable around each other!"

"Exactly. Most boys grow more distant. They have grown closer. Surely you must've noticed," he said, looking back at her and raising a patronizing eyebrow.

"But—"

"You cannot control your son's heart," Riku's father said, turning back to the doorway. "I have taken Kairi away from Riku purely out of business. Trying to separate these two will only encourage those rumors and make it look like my son is doing something I think is wrong. That would be bad for my image as well as his. If I accept it, this whole thing will blow over much more quickly. So I will not force them to be apart. If you want that," he glanced back at her and smirked, "you're welcome to try." He nodded at Riku once and left, the door swinging shut behind him. Sora's mother rounded on her son.

"You are not to have any contact whatsoever with Kairi _or_ Riku," she declared. Sora scowled at her and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Stop me," he said. Seeing the look on Sora's face, Riku decided not to get involved just yet.

"Sora, don't you understand? You took away the most precious gift that girl had to offer any future husband she might've had. She's probably hurt and scared in her room right now—"

"Yeah, because her parents locked her in there!" Sora yelled.

"Her parents did what is best for her!" His mother said, also raising her voice. "Sora, you took advantage of that girl when she had no defense against you! What if she hadn't been willing?"

"I would've stopped!" Sora argued.

"She was willing," Riku interrupted. Sora's mother looked at him, startled. She looked like she was going to say something else but stopped. She took a deep breath.

"I don't think you two quite grasp the enormity of the situation here," she said quietly. "From what you've told me, she came here because she was afraid you two were leaving again." Sora opened his mouth to interrupt, but she held up her hand and he stopped. "And when you told her you were planning on leaving again, she was desperate enough to do _anything_ to make you stay. Is that right?"

"Yes, but…" Sora began weakly, but his mother held up her hand again.

"From there, things got out of hand, am I right?"

"Yes," Sora said softly, hanging his head.

"Now, just a minute," Riku said, stepping towards her, angry. "You're twisting everything—"

"Did any of you stop to consider the consequences?" Sora's mother interrupted, glaring at him. Riku shut up and she turned back to Sora. "Do you know what a bad image that girl will get if word of this gets out? And what if you _had_ hurt her? What would you have done? Lord help us, what if you got her pregnant? Did either of you think to use protection?"

"No," Sora said, now looking worried.

"Oh God, what am I going to do with you?" she muttered, rubbing her head as if she had a headache. Sora blinked, looking miserable and guilty, the same way Riku felt.

Finally, Sora's mom took another deep breath and looked over at Riku. "And you. What are your intentions towards my son?" Riku was speechless.

"Riku didn't hurt me, Mom," Sora said softly. She glanced at Sora and then turned back to Riku with an expectant expression.

"I love him," Riku said simply. He doubted he would ever be able to lie to this woman anyway, so why not come out with the whole truth? "I would never hurt him. He's still my best friend." Sora smiled at him with shining eyes as his mother sighed.

"All right, then," she said. "I won't try to keep you two apart (God knows we tried that when you were little and it didn't work). But for goodness sake, keep _this_," she indicated the two of them with her fingers, "under wraps. Riku, your parents seem to be understanding, but I doubt Kairi's will want either of you near her for the time being. So just lay low, or they'll force me to separate you two."

"Really?" Sora asked eagerly. Sora's mother held up her hand again.

"I mean it," she said. "No Kairi. Don't go near her until her parents have had time to blow off some steam. What you three did still counts as statutory rape, and Kairi's father had the best lawyers around working for him. He could break us and lock both of you up before you could say 'Keyblade.' And don't tell anyone else what happened last night. The fewer people who know, the better."

"Okay," Sora said quietly.

Sora's mother wandered away, clutching her head and muttering something about aspirin. Riku looked at Sora, who locked eyes with him the moment he did. Riku held out his arms and Sora launched himself at him, hugging him fiercely.

"I can't believe this," he muttered, burying his face in Riku's chest.

"Me neither," Riku murmured. "Of all things, I thought our relationship with Kairi was the one thing they'd be okay with."

"No kidding," Sora laughed. Sobering, he looked up at Riku. "She's going to kill us, isn't she?"

"Probably," Riku said. But it couldn't be helped. They had been forbidden to even see Kairi under threat of imprisonment. Surely she would understand why they couldn't be with her? He sighed. "Your mom was right. This _is_ messed up."

"Ah, man, I wish we had a time machine," Sora said, pushing away from Riku to go sit gingerly on the couch. Riku followed him, concerned.

"You'd wish to do last night over?" he asked. Did Sora actually regret what they had done?

"Nah, just this morning," Sora grinned at him. "Then we could've cleaned up properly and Kairi…"

He trailed off, but Riku understood. If they had done things correctly, none of them would be in trouble and Kairi would probably be with them right now. He closed his eyes. It had only been a few hours, but he already missed her. It was an ache he had felt through most of the past two years, and not something he cared to have back. The idea of not seeing her again….

"This sucks," Sora said, echoing Riku's thoughts. "This really sucks."

"Come on," Riku said, grabbing Sora's hand and pulling him off the couch. "Let's get out of here."

"To where?" Sora asked.

"The island, of course," Riku said. Sora brightened for a moment and then winced.

"Um, Riku, I don't think I'm really up to sparring just yet," he said. Riku couldn't suppress a laugh, which Sora glared at him for.

"Okay, okay," Riku said, forcing himself to calm down. "We'll just go sit. We need to make some plans anyway." He gave Sora a significant look and his friend nodded. Together they went outside and headed for the island. Sora immediately began telling him about some of his adventures. Riku smirked as his friend explained about the Land of Dragons. The other boy could not keep the suspicion out of his voice.

"…and then he told me that he had been warned by a rude jerk in a black trench coat," Sora said, looking at his friend expectantly.

"What?" Riku asked, trying to sound innocent.

"You know what," Sora snapped. "Why didn't you—" Riku held up a hand to stop him, staring at the road ahead of them. Headed straight for them and moving like he was going to kill somebody, was Kairi's foster-father, the mayor.

"Should we run for it?" Sora asked quietly.

"No, he's already seen us," Riku said. Great, this should be even more fun. "Let's just let him say whatever he wants to and then keep going."

"But, Riku—"

"He's too angry to try to talk to nicely right now, Sora," Riku said. "Let me handle this." Sora reluctantly agreed. Riku was definitely better at talking to people coldly. They waited in silence for the man to reach them.

"Hello, Mr. Mayor," Riku said calmly. The icy tone he had inherited from his father was working in his favor once again, as the mayor realized immediately that he wouldn't be able to cow the boys in front of him.

"Riku. Sora," he replied just as coldly, nodding to each of the boys in front of him. "I take it your parents were once again unsuccessful in separating you two." Riku smirked.

Once, years ago, his and Sora's parents had tried to get the two boys to open up more to the other kids on the island instead of just to each other, thinking that the relationship they were developing might be unhealthy. Unfortunately, at the same time, they had tried to separate the two boys. For instance, Riku's mom had invited Tidus and Wakka over for a sleepover, but not Sora. Sora's mom, meanwhile, had forced Sora to play with Selphie, telling him to be nice to her since she was the only girl his age around. The results hadn't been pretty.

Selphie had apparently tried to hit Sora with her jump rope when he refused to do what she wanted and he had thrown it in a tree. Tidus and Wakka had woken up to find themselves painted up with Riku's mom's makeup and Riku nowhere in sight. Sora and Riku, meanwhile, had been found playing together on the island later that day, and when told to explain, they had cheerfully said that they had had lots of fun and that they should definitely do it again sometime. It was only after Kairi came into their lives that they finally made up with the others and started playing together. Even then, the damage had already been done and they had always been somewhat distant.

"They figured it would be best to leave us alone," Riku said. The mayor cleared his throat.

"Be that as it may, you understand that I cannot allow you two to continue this…relationship with my daughter," he said.

"Of course we understand," Riku said. "It would sully your reputation." The mayor eyed him with distaste.

"Boy, I don't think you quite grasp this situation. What you did last night was a crime. I could _break_ you and your parents—"

"Oh, but I don't think you want to do that," Riku said, never losing his cool, unlike the slightly red-faced man before him. "Not when my father is funding half your campaign. I think you'd rather just blow this whole thing over as soon as possible. Keep it hush-hush. Right?"

The mayor was silent for a moment.

"Have you told anyone?" he asked.

"No one but our parents know," Riku said.

"Good," the mayor said. "Keep it that way and I won't press charges."

"And just how are you going to explain our sudden—_banishment_ from Kairi's presence?" Riku asked, hoping the man didn't have a plan.

"Actually, I thought it would be better if you gradually grew apart," the mayor said, looking a bit nervous. "After all, you and Sora have been gone a long time, and people change…."

"People have already seen us together since then," Sora blurted out. Riku could understand his panic. The mayor's story would be believed if he got word out fast enough that Kairi just didn't like them anymore.

"Yes, that is unfortunate," the mayor said. Riku wanted to hit him. "However, I have a solution. Kairi has seen fit to remind me that her birthday party is this weekend and that the two of you have already been invited." Riku felt his heart race. Were they being allowed to see her again? "Rather than cause rumors to fly if you don't come, I'll allow you both to attend. However, you are to avoid Kairi as much as possible. Nor are you to be alone with her at any time. When people ask, you can tell them that you've simply grown apart. That should make the break nice and clean."

Riku silently wondered how the man would look with Way to the Dawn sticking out of his chest.

"And if we refuse?" Sora asked quietly. Riku looked down to see him glaring at the mayor. No doubt he wasn't the only one thinking about sticking him with a Keyblade.

"If you refuse to come to the party, that's just fine with me," the mayor said crisply. "After all, boys will be boys. However," his tone turned icy again, "should you refuse to obey the rules I've just given you, you will soon to come to understand the meaning of the phrase 'fullest extent of the law.' I imagine your parents won't be too happy about that either."

"Why you—" Sora started towards him but Riku stopped him.

"We'll come," he said quickly.

"And you'll obey the rules I've laid out for you?" the mayor pressed. Riku nodded. The mayor nodded in satisfaction and sidestepped them, continuing on his way. Sora waited until the man was out of earshot before whirling on him.

"Riku, we can't—"

"Hush. I have a plan," Riku said. "Meet me at the island. I need to go get something." He ran off before Sora could protest further.

A few minutes later, he was walking towards Sora, feeling much better than he had all morning. His friend was oblivious to his approach as he sat on the beach, staring out at the ocean.

Riku paused, taking a moment to really look at Sora. He had grown a lot taller, though he hadn't quite caught up to Riku yet, and where he had once been scrawny and weak, muscles now covered his lean body, along with scars from countless battles. Riku smiled. He knew Sora was still pushing himself to be as strong as him, even though the other boy was already faster. Sora wouldn't be satisfied until he had surpassed Riku in every way. Just as Riku wouldn't be satisfied if Sora did so.

They were always pushing each other. And now…now their relationship was even more complicated. Who would've thought that anything like last night could ever happen with them? Sure he had always liked Sora, but only as a friend. And Kairi, yes, he had liked Kairi too, but had never pursued her because he knew Sora loved her more. He would've been happy to see them get together, oh yes. Riku had known that for awhile now. But he had always dreaded it as well, knowing that they would leave him behind when they did.

But last night… Sora had phoned, saying that his mom was stuck on the mainland and he didn't want to be alone in his big house. Riku had gone over, thinking that nothing out of the ordinary would happen. After all, they had had sleepovers all the time. But then… he wasn't even sure when it had started. That feeling of longing. Of wanting more.

Sitting there, chatting with Sora, he had felt it. It was a feeling he had often associated with Sora. A feeling that seemed to go away whenever Kairi was with them. It was happy, yes. But it came with an ache that told him there should be more. It was that ache that had stopped him from crossing to the other side of the door. It was that ache that had forced him to run every time he met Sora throughout the worlds.

And then, last night, Sora had looked into his eyes and described the same ache in his own heart. The feeling of wanting something more. Of needing _more_ every time he was with his best friend. Even now, Riku wasn't sure who kissed who. But he could still taste that spark.

They had both jumped back, red-faced and embarrassed at kissing another boy, much less their best friend. Sora had stammered an apology at the same time Riku tried to and they had both burst out laughing. While they had wondered aloud at what the hell had come over them, the subject of Kairi had inevitably come up. And as Riku had teased his friend about his crush, a look of incredulity had spread over Sora's face.

"Riku, it's the same," he had said.

"What is?"

"The way I feel about you and Kairi. It's the same!" Panic had spread over Sora's face. "Riku, when we kissed…did you feel something?"

"Yes," Riku had said slowly.

"But why…" Sora had trailed off, looking lost and confused. "Riku, I want you to tell me the truth. Do you like Kairi?"

"Of course I do. She's my friend."

"I mean _that_ way," Sora had said, meeting his eyes.

"Oh… Sora, I—"

"The truth, Riku," Sora had demanded.

"Yes," Riku had admitted.

"So do I," Sora had murmured, looking sad. The he had met Riku's eyes again. "Do you like me?"

Riku had turned red again. "Like that? Sora—"

"You said you felt something," Sora had said, moving closer. "So did I."

And then, Sora had kissed him again. Softly, as though he was searching for something precious. Riku's resolve had dissolved into nothing in an instant. All of the happy images of Sora and Kairi together that he had pictured for so long were replaced with ones of him and Sora, just as happy. But when he had realized that Kairi would have to be excluded now, something in his heart had screamed.

Sora must've felt something similar, because they had both pulled away at the same time. Sora had muttered something about not being able to do it, and, in the conversation that followed, Riku had realized that Sora was right. What he felt for Sora was the same thing he felt for Kairi. He wanted to kiss Kairi the same way he had kissed Sora, and feel that same spark. He wanted to be with them both. But that was impossible.

Or so he had thought, Riku mused, a smile spreading over his face. After discussing it further, he and Sora had agreed that they both had a serious problem and that they wouldn't drag Kairi into it until they got their feelings sorted out. In order to do that, they had both tried to get past that feeling that something was missing as they had kissed each other again. Even though the feeling remained, they had both known what making out like that was _supposed_ to lead to, so they had continued.

It had lead to disaster. Sure, it was thrilling to see Sora naked, and feel him in his arms, warm and willing, but everything else was just wrong. It had been awkward, and painful, and throughout the thing there had been the feeling that the only reason they were doing this was because they were supposed to. Not because they actually wanted it.

They had finally given up, exhausted and heartsore. Then Sora had realized that if he felt that way with Riku, then it was reasonable that eventually he might try something like this with Kairi. And since Riku felt the same way, there was a possibility that Riku would try it with Kairi too. That was when Sora had rolled over to look at him seriously.

"I want to leave," he had said.

"What?"

"I want to leave the islands," Sora had said, just as firmly as before. "If being here means that either of us could hurt Kairi like that, then I don't want to be here. Will you go with me?"

"Aren't you afraid I'll hurt you too?" Riku had asked.

"Oh, come on, Riku," Sora had scoffed. "Do you really want to try _that_ again?" And Riku had been forced to agree that Sora was probably safe from him for awhile.

They had talked about it more, then. Where they would go, what they would do. Undoubtedly, the forces of darkness were out there to be defeated. And as Keyblade Masters, they had decided, it was their duty to leave their home and vanquish the forces of evil. But still, neither he nor Sora could hide the hesitation or sadness that came with the thought of leaving Kairi again. And after all they'd been through together.

Of course, moments later, they had been interrupted by a loud pounding on the door. Unfortunately, they were both still naked, and, thinking it might Sora's mother back early, had scrambled for their clothes, knowing that she wouldn't believe for a moment that they'd gone to bed any earlier than dawn during a sleepover. Then they had heard the front door open and someone running up the stairs. Unable to think in their panic that someone had seen or heard them, Riku had hidden behind the door as Sora struggled with his ridiculous shirt. Then the door had swung open and there was Kairi, the very subject of their conversations, looking like she had seen a ghost.

She had run at Sora and hugged him hard, crying out all of her fears on his shoulder. For a moment, Riku's heart had broken, seeing them together without him. But then she had said his name, had included him in her fears, and had told Sora that they needed to go looking for him while Sora struggled to keep from grinning like an idiot. And then, Riku had known that he too had a special place in Kairi's heart. That she needed him as much as she needed Sora. It had warmed him and given him the courage to join them.

And when all three of them had been together… Riku closed his eyes, remembering the sensation. Gods, that was what he and Sora had been looking for and longing for all this time. With her there, all of his arguments had wanted to dissolve into thin air. They could do this, a voice inside him had nagged. They could all be together. And then they _had _been, and it was…perfect.

He wanted her back. He wanted to feel her in his arms again. He wanted to joke and laugh with them both. He wanted to fight with Sora over her, even though they both knew neither of them would lose in the end. He wanted to watch them kiss, knowing that somewhere in their hearts, he was joining them. Gods help him, he wanted to take them both far away and never give them back to the worlds.

Riku opened his eyes. He would have them. Sora and Kairi were his, first and foremost. And no overly-plump mayor waving an age law was going to keep him from them. He felt the darkness stirring in his heart and couldn't help smiling. _'Oh, no you don't,'_ he thought at it. _'They'll be mine all right, but not because of you.'_ He stepped towards Sora again and the movement caught his friend's eye.

"Riku!" Sora stood up to greet him. Riku couldn't help but notice that the other boy was still moving stiffly. A twinge of guilt ran through him. _'I'll make it up to you, Sora. I promise,'_ he thought as he met the boy halfway. Sora looked down to what he was carrying in his right hand. "Riku, what—?"

"Do you trust me, Sora?" Riku asked, turning back towards the ocean.

"Yeah…."

Riku threw the bottle as far as he could out into the ocean.

………………

A/N: What can I say? Parents are stupid sometimes when it comes to their kids. Just as kids are stupid sometimes when it comes to their parents. Hooray for family problems!

Sorry, it wasn't a lemon. My muse wasn't too happy about that either. (Which is why this is so late. He was sulking.) In my defense, this is slightly longer than my other chapters.

However, I happen to like plotline, as it shows the growth of relationships better than "he had grown to love her over the past two years and nothing would ever be the same again" as the first line. (By the way, I just pulled that out of thin air, so if you're fic does start with that line, I'm not trying to diss you, it's just something I try to avoid as a writer.) So, there will be more plotline to come!

Oh, and before you ask, no I am not going to write out Sora and Riku's first encounter in its entirety. Disappointing sex is, well, disappointing.

Please review! You'll make me smile, even if you say I sucked.


	8. Chapter 7: The Birthday Party

Did I ever tell you guys how much I love reviewers? 'Cause I do. You make me all warm inside.

And for the last two chapters so far:

**Deora ar mo chroi**: He he, please don't kill me. XD I have every intention of finishing it, I swear, it's just taking me a little bit longer than expected...

**Oathkeepera**: Thanks so much for sticking with me, even though I'm horrible at updating… XD

**Pokey the Great**: Thanks for pointing that out to me. I forgot to explain about the statutory rape thing. Yes, Riku's older than them, so I consider him to be an adult at this time (stupid Kingdom Hearts won't give me their birthdays….grumble grumble). However, he's not the only one in the wrong. In some states, it is also illegal for two minors to have intercourse, and that falls under the same jurisdiction. Since we have a case where both an adult/minor and a minor/minor was happening, if he wanted to press charges, the mayor's lawyer could have a field day with those two. Sora's mom might have a bit of a defense since Sora is a minor as well, but it wouldn't hold up too well against the rest of the case. (I asked a lawyer what would happen in a scenario like this and got an earful) If you have any more questions on statutory rape and such, I'd suggest Wikipedia. They have an awesome explanation.

And as far as it spiraling out of control like that… you try asking your mom what her reaction would be if you were having a relationship with a guy _and_ a girl (or two guys) at the same time. Mine went psycho on me when I brought it up, purely in a hypothetical situation. Made me go to confession and everything. O.o And _I'm_ overage.

**Midknight289**: Cool! I'm glad you like it! Honestly, I'm not all that big on Sora/Riku myself, but add Kairi in and it sort of fits.

**AnimeAlexis**: Yes, yes they do suck at lying. Damn those gorgeous eyes! But as for what they're going to do now… evil grin They're kind of running out of options, aren't they? Personally, I'm all for hitting the mayor with a Keyblade. Throttling him sounds good, too.

**Canderjack:** Thanks for the review! I'm a slacker too!

**YinYangWhiteTiger:** Married…(sighs dreamily and then shakes herself out of it) Yeah, that'd be great, but I think they'd better concentrate on being in the same room legally, first! XD And I'm glad you find it creepy. I keep re-reading this wondering, "where the hell did this come from?" And then I remember that I have a very creepy muse. I blame him.

**Disclaimer:** All right, I admit it. Kingdom Hearts owns me.

….

Wait….

* * *

_Riku threw the bottle as far as he could out into the ocean._

**Chapter 7: Birthday Party**

"Stupid—effing—thing," Sora snarled at the mirror as his tie got caught in his hand again.

Riku sighed and straightened his jacket one last time before crossing the room to help his friend. Sora had never learned how to tie a tie properly, but that didn't excuse the mess he had now. Somehow, the tie had gone around his neck, but that was all Sora had gotten right. He had even managed to get his hand caught in the knot at his throat.

"You're hopeless," Riku laughed, loosening the knot. Sora glared at him.

"Yours isn't perfect either," he muttered as Riku got his hand loose.

"I was waiting for you to fix that," Riku said, continuing to work on Sora's knot. Sora grumbled a bit, but reached up to tighten Riku's tie. They had always been like this. Riku could tie the damn thing, but Sora was the one who made it look good by straightening it out and tightening it just right. If either of them tried to do the other's job, they messed it up. One more reason why they tried to avoid ties as much as possible.

"Sora? Riku? You're gonna be late," Sora's mom called from the other side of the bedroom door. She opened it tentatively. "You're not—"

"Kissing? Making out? Having sex?" Sora suggested as he finished with Riku's tie and straightened out his own. "No, Mom. You're safe."

"Oh good," she said, coming in the rest of the way. "I mean, it's not that I have something against your relationship, honey, but it might be weird to walk in on… seeing as how…"

"Seeing as how you're my mother?" Sora finished, smirking.

"Exactly."

"Don't worry, ma'am," Riku laughed. "I doubt we'll have any problems." Considering the fact that they practically couldn't have sex unless a certain third party was present…. Sora looked at him speculatively. That was all the warning Riku got before his friend grabbed his tie and hauled him forward by it for a passionate but short kiss.

"Sora!" his mother exclaimed.

"There. Now you're scarred," Sora said, walking past her with Riku in tow (via the damn tie he still had in his clutches). "Now let's get to this party before they lock us out."

"Like that would be a problem for us…." Riku muttered as they reached the bottom of the stairs. He grabbed Sora's hand, forcing his friend to let go of the tie that was practically choking him. He loosened it, glaring at the other boy. "Was that really necessary?"

"Yes," Sora said, nonplussed. He stepped back up to Riku and fixed the damage. "She's been acting like I have a rare disease ever since that morning, no matter how much she says she's supportive. Let's go." They grabbed their presents for Kairi and headed out into the night, but not before they heard Sora's mother shout, "Don't forget to obey his rules!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sora grumbled. "We won't forget his stinking rules." Riku had to agree with the sentiment.

They walked in relative silence, except for a few mutterings against the damn ties they had been forced to wear. Apparently, Kairi's family had wanted this party to be a formal affair to celebrate their daughter's growing into a young lady. Riku personally thought that the mayor was just trying to make him and Sora uncomfortable, as he knew how much the two boys hated wearing formal wear. That, and the fact that Kairi's father now had a legitimate excuse for keeping Kairi away from them as he introduced her to all of his business and campaign partners. Quite honestly, he felt sorry for Kairi. He had grown up with the same people she would be meeting tonight, and they were boring as all hell.

Still, there was one good thing about a formal party. Kairi would be required to go around and greet all of her well-wishers, including him and Sora. So they would at least get to talk to her, if only for a minute.

"Tell me again why we live on a tropical island and our formal wear doesn't include shorts," Sora said, wiping his forehead.

"It's not _that_ hot," Riku said.

"You're used to wearing pants," Sora muttered. Riku had to concede that fact.

"We're here," he said, as they came to the front gate of Kairi's mansion.

"He's going to gripe about my hair," Sora grumbled. "He always does."

"Act cheery," Riku said. Sora looked at him and slowly grinned. And kept grinning. Soon his whole face seemed to be lost in that grin. Riku laughed. "That's just scary."

"Learned it from a cat," Sora said, relaxing. Riku decided not to pursue that one.

As soon as they got to the door, Sora put on the huge, fake grin again as they were greeted by Kairi's mother. Sure enough, first thing, her eyes flew to Sora's hair and she frowned in disapproval. However, when she took a look at his face, it was safe to say that she was freaked out.

"Greetings, ma'am," Sora said between his grin with a fake cheery voice. Riku shook with silent laughter. "We've come to wish our best to our good friend Kairi." How Sora was managing to keep his teeth clenched enough not to break that freaky grin was beyond Riku. He was busy trying not to burst out laughing.

"Right," Kairi's mom said slowly. "Um, of course you are." She didn't seem to know what else to say. Riku looked away and forced himself to breathe. Finally, Kairi's mother stepped aside and allowed them to pass without any further comment, still looking somewhat unsure about what had just happened.

"Thank you," Sora grinned. She just blinked at him. As soon as they were out of earshot, Riku burst out laughing. Sora grinned at him, a true grin this time. "My face hurts," he said calmly, as though he hadn't just freaked out their hostess for the evening.

"My sides are going to hurt if you keep that up all night," Riku gasped out. "Did you see her face?"

"Kept her from turning us away because of my hair, didn't it?" Sora said, looking pleased with himself.

"Oh man. Forget statutory, they're going to lock us up in the insane asylum," Riku said, finally calming down enough to breathe.

"Maybe I should try crossing my eyes next time too," Sora mused.

"Sora! Riku!" They both turned to see Selphie waving at them cheerily from a group that included Tidus, Wakka, and…Kairi. Riku felt his breath catch as she turned to look at them. Beside him, he heard Sora's quick intake of breath.

She looked stunning. She was still dressed in pink, but this time it was a long, strapless evening gown with slits up both sides, edged in silver and white. It suited her perfectly. And when she caught their eyes and saw them for the first time in days… Riku could've sworn that the earth swayed underneath him when she smiled so brightly. Smiling back, he and Sora started towards her, only to have their path blocked. Riku looked up to see the mayor with an extremely-fake welcoming smile on his face.

"Sora! Riku! So glad you could come," he exclaimed, opening his arms as if to embrace them. Riku tensed. If that man tried to hug him, world border be damned, he was calling Way to the Dawn.

"Hello, Mr. Mayor," he said through gritted teeth.

"But why are you still holding presents? Here, I'll take them," the mayor said with such false joviality it was sickening.

"Um, that's okay, sir, we'll just give them to her now," Sora said, tightening his grip on Kairi's present.

"What? And spoil the fun for later? You'll do no such thing!" the mayor laughed. Before they could protest further, he grabbed both of the presents and headed off for the kitchen. "I'll just put these with the others," he called over his shoulder. Riku watched him go, feeling uneasy.

"20 munny says he throws them in the garbage," he said sullenly.

"Hey, where'd Kairi go?" Sora asked. Riku turned to see him anxiously scanning the crowd.

Kairi had somehow disappeared from her group of friends. Being taller than his friend, Riku spotted her easily and tapped Sora on the shoulder, indicating the direction with his head. Sora looked and blew a raspberry in disgust. Kairi's mother had somehow managed to whisk her away when they were talking with the mayor. She was probably more than half the room away, chatting with some old, thin fogey who kept peering at her through his glasses, as though he couldn't quite see her properly.

"Hey, you two, Kairi's mom said she had to meet some old family friends," Selphie said, coming up behind them with Wakka and Tidus in tow. "But don't worry, she should be back soon."

"Old is a good word for him," Riku muttered.

"How is he still standing?" Sora wondered. "I've seen skeletons with more meat on their bones!"

Selphie, Wakka, and Tidus looked more than a little worried at this statement, and backed up a step.

"Man, Sora, you must've seen some weird stuff on your journeys, ya?" Wakka said.

"You have no idea," Sora said, smirking slightly. Riku considered charging him a quarter for that smirk, as it was so obviously taken from his best friend.

"Like what?" Tidus asked, interested. Sora turned to him.

"Like, the skeletons were dancing," he said seriously. Wakka and Tidus laughed nervously. Selphie, however, rolled her eyes.

"Right," she said. "Well, come on, you two. The food is over there and it's really good!" Sora's stomach growled in reply and they followed her over to the table as Tidus and Wakka launched into a new discussion on Blitzball. Sora immediately began filling his plate and shoveling food into his mouth at the same time.

"Sora, slow down," Riku whispered, grabbing his friend by the elbow to stop him.

"No," Sora said petulantly. He gave Riku an evil grin and looked over his shoulder at the mayor. "He shall pay for taking her away from me," he said in his best Evil Overlord voice. "I shall eat him out of house and home." Riku snickered. Sora really had met way too many villains.

"Good luck with that," he said.

"You want to help?" Sora asked, still using the voice and the evil grin as he held up a piece of fruit on a stick.

"You'd better not take that from him, Riku," Selphie said, coming up behind them. "Judging from the amount of food Sora has on his plate, I'd say he hasn't eaten for a week."

"No kidding," Tidus said, also eyeing Sora's plate. "Where are you planning on putting all of that?"

"Actually, I was planning on having a food fight," Sora said, returning to his normal voice. Riku quickly took the plate away from him. "Hey!"

"Wait until we've at least had a chance to talk to her," Riku muttered as he played keep away with Sora's plate. Sora pouted. "If we make a scene they're going to throw us out."

"I was just kidding, Riku," Sora said, thrusting out his lower lip. "Can I have it back now?"

"Aww, Sora. You're so cute," Selphie squealed as Riku gave Sora back his plate. She looked like she was going to give him a big hug. Riku immediately put him in a headlock as he stole a piece of fruit. Selphie stepped back and looked at them with her head cocked, as though she hadn't quite seen them before, while Sora struggled in Riku's grasp. Riku calmly took another piece of fruit and smiled at Selphie.

"I heard a rumor that you two were planning on leaving again. Any truth to that?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah," Sora said, as Riku finally released him. "We're leaving tomorrow."

"What? So soon?" Selphie said, looking crestfallen. Sora just smiled at her apologetically. "But what about school?" she asked.

"We've already got the papers and stuff from the school. That way, we'll have all the information we need right there, and our schools won't have to try and get stuff from here," Riku said. That process had taken a whole afternoon.

"Yeah, I know what you mean, mon," Wakka said, nodding. "Stuff from the mainland gets lost all the time on its way here. Could make it hard to transfer, ya?"

"Exactly," Riku agreed.

"But, what about Kairi?" Sephie asked, slowly. "I know she doesn't have any of that stuff. Isn't she going with you?" Riku and Sora both looked away.

"Well, you see…" Sora said uneasily, "sometimes, people grow apart…." He looked like what he was saying was causing him physical pain.

"You're not taking her with you?" Selphie exclaimed. "But she waited so long for you two to come back!"

"Eh…" Sora began.

"And we did come back," Riku interrupted. "Just like we promised. But we can't stay here forever." Selphie stared at them, aghast.

"But why would you—"

"Kairi has her own life to lead," Riku said firmly.

"But—"

"Selphie, just drop it, okay?" Tidus said. He motioned behind her. Riku turned to look.

"Kairi!" Sora exclaimed. Kairi stood there, staring at them sadly.

"I was told to thank you all for coming to my birthday," she said. She turned to Sora and Riku, biting her lip but putting on a brave face. "So, it's true then. You're leaving." She made it a statement. Slowly, Riku nodded. Kairi closed her eyes.

"Well, then, I guess I'd better say this to you before you go," she said, slipping one hand into the handbag she was carrying. She took a deep breath, as though readying herself for an already-prepared speech. "You two took something precious away from me before." Behind her, Riku saw her mother smiling and nodding approvingly.

'_Of course_,' he thought. '_They must've told her to say something to us, but to keep it so vague that nobody else would be able to figure it out._' From her bag, Kairi withdrew the Thalassa Shell Charm. Riku held himself still as Kairi made eye contact with both of them, anger flashing in her eyes as she held out the charm. Sora made a sound like a quiet, ragged sob.

'_She's letting us go_,' he thought as he felt his heart break.. '_And we don't have any other choice…But, she can't hate us that much. She's giving Sora the charm again. That has to count for something, right?_' Sora bowed his head and reached for the charm.

"I will never forgive you," Kairi whispered.

Sora froze, staring at her in horror, his fingertips not yet touching the charm. Kairi just glared at him. Her expression didn't change, even when tears shimmered and fell from her eyes. But the sight of those tears was enough to make Sora move, and he moved quickly, taking the hand that was holding out the charm to him and leaning in to kiss her gently on the cheek. The people around them gasped, and Kairi's parents moved to separate them, but Sora had already pulled away slightly.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," he said softly.

Kairi stared at him, her eyes still bright. Sora turned away and moved towards the door, not looking back. Before Kairi could react, Riku slipped in beside her and kissed her on the other cheek, wiping away the last of her tears.

"You're still a horrible liar," he murmured. Kairi stared at him for a moment before shoving him away and fleeing towards her bedroom.

"Kairi? Kairi!" Selphie called, running after her.

"Well, I hope you're happy with yourself, young man," the mayor said pompously, glaring at Riku. Riku stared back, uninterested in anything this man had to say.

"Of course I'm not," he said calmly. "I never meant to make her cry on her birthday. But don't worry. We'll be out of your hair by morning." With that, he nodded goodbye to Tidus and Wakka, and followed Sora out the door.

Sora had stopped about half-way down the walkway to Kairi's house. He was stock-still and shaking, and when Riku caught up to him, he realized that the other boy was holding back tears.

"Damn it," Sora choked out between his teeth. He hand clenched tightly and Riku saw the end of the Thalassa Shell Charm clutched tightly in his fist, the charm itself dangling below. Riku put a hand on his friend's shoulder and Sora looked up at him, his eyes as bright as Kairi's had been. "I hate this, Riku."

"I know. I do too. But we don't have a choice," Riku said. Sora wiped his eyes.

"The king said he'd be here by midnight, right?" he asked. Riku nodded and looked off into darkness of water that surrounded their island. Somewhere out there was a Gummi Ship coming to take them away. So much to do….

"Time to go," Riku said calmly. Sora pocketed the charm and gazed off towards the ocean as well, as though they could both see the cheerful ship somewhere in the darkness.

"Yep," he said. They both started walking away to prepare for their journey, neither of them noticing the figure at the second-story window silently screaming for them to come back.

* * *

A/N: Oh my God. I'm evil. 

Well, that's the end. So, what'd you think?

O.o

Ha hah. Okay, I'm kidding.

Review and find out what happens next!


	9. Chapter 8: Without You

Ah, my reviewers! I love you all so much!!

I just wanted to let you all know that. Why? Because half of you are going to kill me when you read the first sentence of this chapter. The other half might wait until the end of the chapter but... well, I won't say anymore. Feh, who am I kidding? You all are going to kill me for not updating in so long.

My profound apologies for all those who reviewed asking for a quick update. I am an evil, awful, terrible, no good, very bad person.

I had already planned for that to be a major break in the story so I could catch up with my chapters again... okay, so I'm lying. I had _originally_ planned for that to be the end of the story, but when I ran it through my editor, she finished reading it, looked up at me and said, "And then?" When I told her that was the end, she slowly stood up and very creatively threatened my life, love, progeny, and certain bodily functions if I didn't tell her what happened next. O.o Kind of like the rest of my reviews, now that I think about it.

Unfortunately, this chapter was rather difficult to write and our schedules couldn't synch up for awhile. I finally got the chapter back after writing her an e-mail entitled "THEY'RE GONNA EAT ME!"I think she finally got the point. She apologizes for the delay too. Please put away your cookery. Please….?

**Disclaimer: **Don't make me say it. It's too sad... T.T Okay, fine. I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Meanies. Oh, and yes. The title is a blatant rip-off of yet another musical. Sue me. No wait. Don't sue me!

We're back to Kairi's POV!

* * *

_They both started walking away to prepare for their journey, neither of them noticing the figure at the second-story window silently screaming for them to come back._

**Chapter 8: Without You**

Sora and Riku left that morning. According to Selphie, they had gotten on a very bright-looking ship amidst many hugs and noogies from a mouse, a duck, and a dog-like thing. All of which could talk. Selphie said it was the weirdest thing she'd ever seen.

Kairi didn't reply. As far as weird went, she had the other girl beaten by a long shot.

They had asked about her, Selphie said. The dog had wondered where she was and Riku had explained that she wasn't allowed to come. They had seemed slightly upset, but had quickly moved on. Selphie wondered where they knew her from. Again, Kairi didn't reply.

Finally, the other girl left her alone with her thoughts, saying she was going to go watch Tidus and Wakka play and that Kairi was welcome to join her at any time. Kairi might've murmured a reply, but she wasn't sure.

They were gone.

Just like that. The two people she loved more than anything else in the world. Gone. Vanished. Never to return again. And considering how many lawsuits her foster-father had been boasting he'd hit them with if they ever did come back, they were probably better off that way.

She had waited all night last night for them to come back and get her. She had envisioned them breaking through the second-story window, Keyblades drawn as they fought off her father and then swept her off her feet to join them for a life of adventures as they traveled through the worlds together. She had been able to see things so clearly...

But nothing had happened. All she had in return for her troubles were two red eyes, a throbbing headache, and sores on her feet from pacing in high heels for hours on end. She had realized later that she wouldn't get very far running away from home in an evening gown and had changed into her usual attire, but her feet were already sore. Now she was tired, hungry, and no little bit cranky. Still, just one word keep running through her mind.

_Why? _

Why had they left her? And after everything they had gone through together. After saying that they wouldn't leave her; promising to teach her how to fight... They had left so suddenly. So quickly. It was almost as if they had jumped at the excuse to leave her again. Maybe... Maybe her father was right. Maybe they didn't care about her. Maybe all she was to them was a piece of meat. A one-night stand. Something to be used and discarded. Kairi choked back a sob.

_Sora! Riku!_

Their faces popped into her mind. Sora grinning carelessly, Riku smiling that slow, quiet smile. Kairi's heart unclenched and she found herself smiling through her tears. _Damn them_. She couldn't even stay angry with them. She couldn't believe anything bad about them! She loved them too much. If they were happy... that's what was important, right? She should try to be happy too. For them.

She got out of her chair and collapsed on her bed. For the first time in days, she was able to relax completely. She was asleep within minutes, dreaming of two boys racing ahead of her, all of them laughing as they ran through the sand. She laughed even harder when the older of the two, suddenly realizing that he wouldn't win, turned and tackled his opponent at the last minute, who yelled as they fell. Kairi crossed the finish-line, almost doubled over in laughter as the two wrestled in the sand. Somehow, the brunet got free of his assailant and, with a war-cry, jumped on the other boy again, sending them both tumbling into the incoming waves. They sat up, sputtering out salt water.

"You're both disqualified for going out of bounds," she informed them solemnly, trying hard not to laugh and failing miserably.

"That was just plain dirty, Riku," Sora spat, splashing his companion.

"I thought Kairi should win once in a while," Riku laughed. Kairi laughed.

"Oh, thank you _so_ much," she gushed, batting her eyes at him. He snickered as she stuck her tongue out at him right afterwards.

"Right. And the fact that I was actually beating you didn't come into play at all," Sora growled, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not," Riku agreed. "You didn't beat me. We got disqualified."

"All right, rematch!" Sora yelled, jumping to his feet.

"Nah, I'm all wet now," Riku said lazily, also getting to his feet. He started to wring out his clothes.

"Riku..."

"Well, next time, don't throw me in the ocean."

"You started it!"

"Yeah. I did. And Kairi finished it. She already won. Right, Kairi?" Riku said. They both turned to look at her.

Kairi woke up.

'_Just a dream_,' she thought, closing her eyes again, hoping the dream would come back. '_Damn_.'

After a moment, she took a deep breath and got up, wincing when she felt how sore and stiff she was. It was still late afternoon, if the clock on her nightstand was any indication. She stretched and went to wash her face. At least her eyes didn't look so bloodshot. And her nose wasn't nearly as stuffy as before. Even her headache had gone away. Examining her face, her fingers ghosted over her cheeks where Sora and Riku had kissed her tears away last night.

_Sora... Riku..._

_I want them back_.

She shook her head clear of such thoughts. '_They aren't coming back_,' she reminded herself sternly. '_Moping around isn't going to change that. Maybe... I need a change of scenery_.'

With that thought, she left the house and started wandering around the island, no particular destination in mind. Now that Sora and Riku were gone, she wasn't under house arrest anymore. Inevitably, her feet lead her to Riku's house, where she stopped and stared at it from the front yard._Riku_...

"It really is closer," she murmured to herself, remembering the argument that had started this whole mess. Well, that and that stupid dream. But... no! She refused to think about that! She turned around and, quite predictably, continued down the same path she had taken that fateful night. When she finally got to Sora's house, she couldn't help but stop and stare at the second story.

Was that really it? Was that where all of this had begun? Had she really been in there with them, warm and safe and happy? Had they held her in their arms, touched her like no one else had ever dared to? The obvious answer was yes, but it seemed like a fairytale now. To have found such a powerful love so soon, and then to have it ripped away...

Kairi turned back to the path, wiping away her tears furiously. This wasn't helping. She continued down the path, concentrating on the pretty flowers she saw, or an interesting pebble now and again. Anything to get her mind off of those two.

"Hi, Kairi!"

Kairi looked up from little yellow and white flower she had been examining (it really did look a lot like Riku's jacket) and saw Tidus coming towards her, waving. She smiled. Finally, a distraction.

"Hi, Tidus," she said, returning his wave.

"So, how're you feeling?" he asked slowly as he stopped beside her.

"I'm fine," Kairi assured him. "Sorry about last night. I probably shouldn't have run out like that."

"It's okay," he said shrugging. "I mean...I know you were close to those two," Kairi was grateful he didn't mention any names, "and I guess I would've freaked if I found out my best friends were suddenly leaving too."

"Thanks, Tidus."

"No prob. So, um... you wanna go grab a bite to eat or something? I just got done training with Wakka, so I'm kinda hungry," Tidus said, looking sheepish and blushing as he glanced at her. Kairi smiled.

"Sure, I'd like that."

Tidus chatted easily with her in the restaurant, talking about his ballgame and explaining things Kairi would probably never understand in a million years, even if she had been paying as much attention as she should've. But as she sipped her drink slowly and watched Tidus eat, her mind kept going back to the way Sora would always scarf down his food while Riku patiently told him to chew and then pounded him on the back whenever he choked. Then they would argue later if Riku really needed to hit him _that_ hard and "if Kairi had done it, she would've been nicer, right, Kairi?"

"Kairi?"

She jerked herself out of her daydream to see Tidus looking at her, concerned.

"Oh, sorry, Tidus," she said, sheepishly. "I just spaced out for a moment there. What were you saying?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering why you were staring at me like that," he said. Kairi blushed crimson.

"I—I'm sorry," she stammered. "I-I j-just..."

"You were thinking about them," Tidus finished for her. Kairi ducked her head, not wanting him to see her tears. Damn it. She couldn't take it anymore!

"I'm really sorry," she said. Before she could think better of it, she ran out the door, not stopping until she reached her house.

_'I can't do it,'_ she thought as she ran upstairs to her room. '_I can't stop thinking about them..._'

SORA! RIKU!

"Come back," she sobbed into her pillow. "Come back! Please come back! _Don't leave me alone_..." But they weren't coming back. Not this time. She had known it even then….

"Kairi, honey, are you awake?"

Kairi jerked up, blinking. She had fallen asleep again? Funny, she couldn't even remember dreaming. She looked out the window to see that it was already dark outside. Downstairs, her mother called for her again. It was time for supper. Slowly, Kairi forced herself to get out of bed and go downstairs and eat something. She was ravenous.

She said nothing to either of her parents, and, for a few minutes, reveled in the fact that the silence was extremely uncomfortable. Still, she felt guilty for being petty, so she opened her mouth to compliment the food.

"Sulking isn't becoming of a young lady," her father said to her sternly. Kairi dropped her spoon in surprise.

"Kairi, honey, I know you miss those two, but you'll see, there are better men out there–" her mother started.

"I'm finished now," Kairi interrupted, standing up. "Good night."

"Now, wait just a second, young lady," her father started, also standing. Kairi ignored him and kept on going.

"Kairi!"

"Dear, just let her go," Kairi heard her mother say.

"What? No, I will not let her go! She has to understand–"

"Just give her some time, dear."

Kairi didn't wait to hear anymore. Instead, she ran up the stairs and slammed the bedroom door behind her. No matter what her mother thought, she would never get over those two. Never. She went to the window and threw it open.

"SORA! RIKU!" she screamed into the night. "You'd better come back for me or I swear I'm hunting you both down! No world, no Gummi Ship will be safe for either of you! Do you hear me??"

"Kairi!"

She spun to see her father charging through the door, her mother close behind.

"For God's sake, Kairi, you'll wake up the neighbors!"

"It's only eight o'clock," Kairi exclaimed.

"Well, still! It's not right for a lady to scream. Really, shouting so the whole island can hear you?" Mother said as Father shut the window. She patted Kairi's hand awkwardly. "I know how it must feel, sweetheart, but you have to remember: Sora and Riku are–"

"They aren't gone!" Kairi cried. "They'll come back for me, just watch!"

"You'd better hope they don't," Father said coolly, as he led Mother out of the room by the arm. They closed the door again behind them. Left alone once more, Kairi just stood there, feeling even more helpless than ever before. But really, she couldn't _do_ anything...

She spun and walked over to her bed, grabbing her pillow and punching it as hard as she could. Then, she said a very bad word.

More soon followed.

Hey, just because she was a Princess of Heart, didn't mean she hadn't heard other people use those words. It was just the first time _she_ had ever used them. It felt kind of good, actually. Really good. So, she continued venting her anger out on her poor, defenseless pillow. Soon, though, she was hugging it, apologizing for hitting it and calling it bad names, crying because she had imagined the pillow to have both Sora's and Riku's face on it from time to time. Then she fell asleep. Again.

The next morning, Selphie came over and offered to take her to the island. Kairi gratefully accepted, especially since she had overheard her father call a professional to come and put bars on her window that day.

Right... They were on an island for crying out loud! Where was she supposed to go? But she didn't want to start another argument, which was bound to happen if she stayed there.

She and Selphie walked together for awhile, collecting pretty shells and talking about the latest fashions for clothes on the islands. Eventually, though, they came face-to-face with the Secret Place (which everyone knew about). Kairi stepped towards it, but Selphie caught her arm.

"Kairi," she said hesitantly, "I know you miss them and all, but I don't know if you're ready to go back there just yet." Kairi's expression must've changed because Selphie immediately put her hands up in defense. "I know it's not my place to judge," she said quickly. "I just don't want to see you cry again, okay?" Kairi forced herself to calm down. It would do her no good to get mad at her friend. The other girl was just trying to help.

"Okay," Kairi said finally. "You're right. I'm not ready to go back there just yet. Maybe later. Let's go get some ice cream, okay?"

"Sure!" Selphie said eagerly.

They ended up getting lunch too, as Tidus and Wakka decided to take a break from their practice and saw them at the food stand. For a couple of hours, everything was just like it had been a year ago: Sora and Riku were away on a trip and Kairi was simply waiting for them to return, chatting and laughing with her friends easily. But all too soon Tidus and Wakka decided to get some more practice in and Selphie suddenly remembered that her mother had wanted her to do some chores around the house. Kairi was left walking back home on her own.

She took the long way. Meaning, she went back down to the beach and stared at the little island. It was something she had done often enough, before Axel had come for her. Now she wondered if there was a possibility that another supervillian might come and try to kidnap her. Then Sora and Riku could rescue her and...

Kairi sighed. Yeah, right. Being held prisoner against the two people she loved? No way. She'd fight any bad guy that came for her. And now that she had the Keyblade...

She blinked, then looked down at her hand. The Keyblade! Maybe there was a way for her to reach Sora and Riku! She held out her hand, willing it to manifest.

Nothing.

Kairi sighed, staring at her hand again. "Figures," she muttered. "It figures that I'd need those two here in order for it to work." Then she scowled. No, she needed to have that Keyblade! She couldn't just give up. She took a deep breath and concentrated harder, thinking of all the reasons why she had to have it.

She _needed_ the Keyblade. If she had it, she could hit Sora and Riku over the head with it and—NO!!

Umm... she needed it, just in case a supervillian came for her, however unlikely that was... or how long it might take... maybe... Well, that wasn't working.

She needed it—to become stronger. She needed to be stronger in order to be with Sora and Riku again. The ones she loved. She needed to be with them again—

_SHING!!_

Kairi blinked as the Keyblade shimmered to life in her outstretched hand. Then, in a move she was sure Sora would've been proud of, she leaped into the air with a whoop of joy. It worked! She could call the Keyblade still!!

"Now then," she said to it, "you wouldn't happen to have a way to call the other Keyblades to you, would you?"

No answer. No strange pull guiding her to some forgotten passageway that only Keybearers could use. No beam of light shooting off into the darkness that came with the setting sun—

"Oh no," Kairi moaned. She was supposed to go to one of her father's friend's parties tonight! She should be home, getting ready... Regretfully, she allowed the Keyblade to disappear, turning back towards the path that would lead her to her house.

She jogged up the path, but slowed down when she passed Sora's house as she realized that Sora's mother was out in her garden, mumbling to herself. Instantly, Kairi felt sorry for the woman. Sora's mother hadn't had an easy time. First, she had lost her son, then completely forgotten about him, and now, after he had finally come back, she had lost him again. Kairi was surprised that the woman hadn't gone completely crazy yet. As she passed by, Sora's mother looked up at her and waved half-heartedly, but gave no indication that she wanted to talk, so Kairi simply waved back and continued down the path.

_'I'll have to go visit her sometime,'_ she decided. She passed Riku's house without incident and finally made it to her own front door. She had just barely closed the door behind her when she heard her father's voice.

"Where have you _been_, young lady?!" he bellowed, coming in from the other room. "Your mother and I have been worried sick! You should've been home an hour ago! We have a party to go to tonight!"

"I know! I forgot," Kairi said. "Sorry."

"You forgot. You FORGOT? This is only the biggest party of a close, personal—"

"I said I'm sorry!" Kairi snapped, angry. Her father saw red.

"Don't you DARE take that tone with me, young lady. We're going to be late because of you—"

"Dear, blood pressure," Kairi's mother said calmly, entering the room. Father took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. Mother looked over at Kairi sternly. "Really, Kairi, where were you? Selphie's mother said she came home quite a while ago."

"I just… decided to take a walk," Kairi mumbled, looking at the ground.

"A walk," her mother repeated. "To the beach?" Kairi didn't answer, figuring it was obvious enough. Her mother sighed. "And now, just look at you. You're not ready at all! Your hair is all mused and—"

"I'll just stay home," Kairi said. "Tell them I'm not feeling well or something." She turned and started up the stairs.

"Kairi," her mother said sternly. Kairi looked down at her. "I know it's only been a couple of days, but you really do need to make an effort to forget those two—"

"I'm leaving now," Kairi said, continuing up the stairs.

"Now hold it, missy! You don't talk to your mother like that!" Father shouted. She climbed faster. "LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!! KAIRI!! Those two aren't worth all of this!!"

_That_ made Kairi spin around.

"THEY ARE! SORA AND RIKU MEAN EVERYTHING TO ME!!" she screamed back, furious. "They'll come back for me, just watch!"

"Kairi, stop it! You're being unreasonable!" Mother shouted.

"_Unreasonable_?? Who locked me in my room as soon as they found out—"

"That was for your own good!"

"_My_ good? According to who? We were just fine without you butting in and—"

"Kairi, they are_teenage boys_! They only want one thing from you—WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" But Kairi had already turned and ran the rest of the way up the stairs. She flew into her room in a blind rage, whirling around as soon as she was inside, and slamming the door shut.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the door frame, keeping a firm grasp on the knob. Unlike Sora's room, her door only locked from the outside, so she couldn't keep her parents out unless she kept the door shut by force. Shakily, she forced herself to take a deep breath as she remained where she was as she heard her father storm up after her. He tried the knob and then banged on the door.

"KAIRI! DAMN IT, GIRL!! OPEN THIS DOOR!"

"I thought you had a party to go to," Kairi mocked, feeling vindictive.

"KAIRI!!"

"Dear—" Mother had joined them.

"DAMMIT, I WON'T TELL YOU AGAIN—"

"Dear, blood pressure! Come on, she's right. We're going to be late. And you need to calm down."

There was a moment of silence.

"Fine," Father said finally, still sounding slightly out of breath. "We're going. We'll tell them you weren't feeling well."

"Fine," Kairi said, not moving.

"We will continue this later, young lady."

"Can't wait."

"I'm locking you in."

"You do that."

There was some shuffling on the other side of the door, and then Kairi heard the key click in the knob she was still holding. Two pairs of footsteps walked away and faded back down the staircase. She let the knob go for a moment and tried to open it. Yep. She was locked in.

Gods, why did it have to be like this? She had always gotten along so well with her parents…. Eyes still closed, she took a deep breath and knocked her head once against the doorframe in frustration. Beside her, something hanging on the hook of her door jingled with the impact.

Wait. She didn't remember putting anything on the door hook….

Kairi opened her eyes and turned her head to see what was up there. She gasped. There, swinging merrily on its chain, was the Thalassa Shell Charm.

* * *

A/N: Can I come out of the fetal position now?

Do I dare ask for more reviews? o.O

Actually, I kinda liked the death threats. It's nice to know you all care about me enough to hunt me down. o.o;


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